DAVID, 


KING   OF    ISRAEL 


fffS  LIFE  AND  ITS  LESSONS. 


BY  THE 


REV.  WILLIAM  M.  TAYLOR,  D.D., 

MINISTER  OF  THE  BROADWAY  TABERNACLE,  NEW  YORK  CITY. 


NEW    YORK: 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN     SQUARE. 
1875. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874,  by 

HARPER   &   BROTHERS, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PREFACE. 


THE  Psalms  of  David  are  the  throbbing  heart  of  Holy 
Scripture.  But  they  can  not  be  fully  understood  unless 
we  read  them  in  the  light  of  the  experiences  out  of  which 
they  sprung.  Hence  the  life  of  the  son  of  Jesse  must  be  ever 
interesting  to  the  devout  student  of  the  Word  of  God  ;  and 
many  have  undertaken  to  set  it  forth  in  distinctness  before 
the  modern  reader. 

In  adding  another  to  the  works  already  existing  on  this 
portion  of  sacred  history,  I  have  no  other  apology  to  offer 
than  that  which  arises  out  of  the  interest,  amounting  almost 
to  a  fascination,  which  it  has  long  had  for  myself.  I  have  en- 
deavored to  give  vividness  and  reality  to  the  far-off  past,  and 
to  draw  from  it  lessons  of  "  doctrine,  of  warning,  of  reproof, 
of  correction,  of  instruction  in  righteousness"  for  the  present. 
In  attempting  to  do  this  I  have  availed  myself  of  all  the  light 
which  I  could  obtain  from  every  quarter.  I  have  not  con- 
sciously evaded  any  difficulty,  or  strained  any  statement; 
and  while  I  have  carefully  noted  my  obligations  to  others,  I 
can  not  forbear  expressing  in  this  place  my  indebtedness  to 
Dean  Stanley's  "  Lectures  on  the  Jewish  Church,"  and  the  Bi- 
ble dictionaries  of  Kitto,  Smith,  and  Fairbairn. 

Such  as  it  is,  I  desire  to  lay  my  work  at  the  feet  of  Him 
"  whose  I  am  and  whom  I  serve ;"  and  if  it  shall  in  any  meas- 
ure increase  my  reader's  interest  in  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures, or  add  to  his  enjoyment  of  the  sacred  Psalter,  or  min- 
ister to  his  spiritual  profit,  I  shall  be  abundantly  rewarded. 

BROADWAY  TABERNACLE,  September  30,  1874. 


2227042 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

I.  The  Anointing  at  Bethlehem 9 

II.  Medicinal  Music 24 

III.  The  Conflict  with  Goliath 41 

IV.  David  and  Jonathan 58 

V.   The  Escape  from  Gibeah  to  Ramah 75 

VI.  The  Valley  of  Deceit .  .  93 

VII.  Songs  in  the  Night _ 112 

VIII.  Cave  Songs 133 

IX.  Ndbal 153 

X.  Ziklag,  Endor,  and  Gilboa 170 

XI.  Hebron  and  Jerusalem 191 

XII.   The  B 'ringing  up  of  the  Ark 210 

XIII.  Natharfs  Message 230 

XIV.  David 's  Administration 245 

XV.  The  Great  Transgression 264 

XVI.  The  Bereavement 283 

XVII.  The  Revolt  of 'Absalom 299 

XVIII.  Absalom1  s  Defeat  and  Death 320 

XIX.   The  Restoration  of  David  to  his  Throne 338 

XX.  Famine  and  Pestilence 360 

XXI.  Even-song 379 

XXII.  The  Coronation  of  Solomon 399 

XXIII.  Last  Words 415 

INDEX 435 


DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 


I 


I. 

THE  ANOINTING  AT  BETHLEHEM. 
i  SAMUEL  xvi.,  1-13. 

N  entering  upon  the  consideration  of  the  life-story  of  Da- 
vid, King  of  Israel,  it  is  needful  that  we  have  a  clear 
conception  of  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  land  at  the  time 
when  he  first  appears  upon  the  scene. 

Samuel,  to  whose  history  the  interest  of  every  reader  is 
drawn  with  a  peculiar  fascination,  was  now  an  old  man ;  and 
had,  in  a  great  measure,  retired  from  public  life  to  his  home 
at  Ramah,  where,  however,  he  still  presided  over  one  of  those 
educational  institutions  which  in  the  Old  Testament  are 
called  "schools  of  the  prophets."  He  had  judged  Israel  for 
twenty  years  with  prudence,  impartiality,  and  success,  and 
was  in  every  way  as  worthy  as  ever  of  the  veneration  and  con- 
fidence of  the  community.  But  moved,  partly  by  the  fact  that 
his  sons  did  not  walk  in  his  footsteps,  and  partly  also  by 
that  ostentatious  rivalry  of  their  neighbors,  which  is  the  bane 
of  states  as  well  as  of  families,  the  tribes  desired  a  king.  This 
request  at  first  greatly  distressed  the  aged  prophet,  but  after 
consulting  God  upon  the  subject  he  was  led  to  acquiesce  in 
the  proposal,  and  at  a  solemn  gathering  of  the  people  he  ad- 
dressed them  in  a  strain  of  mingled  tenderness  and  reproof, 
took  them  to  witness  that  he  had  managed  their  affairs  with 
moderation  and  integrity,  and  then  summoned  them  to  ap- 
point their  king,  not  however  by  popular  election,  but  by  lot, 


io  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

thereby  reminding  them  that  he  who  should  be  set  over  them 
would  be,  after  all,  only  the  vicar  and  representative  of  their 
true  King,  Jehovah.  The  whole  narrative  impresses  us  with 
a  sense  of  the  dignity  and  self-control  of  Samuel ;  and  we 
see  that  he  was  a  truly  patriotic  and  self-sacrificing  man, 
willing  to  be  any  thing,  or  to  do  any  thing,  for  the  sake  of  his 
people  and  his  God. 

The  man  on  whom  the  lot  at  this  time  fell  was  Saul,  the 
son  of  Kish,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  He  had  an  imposing 
appearance,  great  martial  prowess,  and  considerable  intel- 
lectual ability,  and  if  he  had  been  willing  to  sink  his  person- 
al ambition  in  the  service  of  the  Lord,  he  might  have  be- 
come truly  great,  but  ever  and  anon  he  rebelled  against  and 
overpassed  what  may  be  called  the  constitutional  restraints 
of  the  theocratic  monarchy ;  and  so  he  lost  the  great  op- 
portunity of  his  life,  and  left  behind  him  a  name  around 
which  the  saddest  associations  hover,  and  to  which  no  real 
nobility  belongs. 

At  first  his  appointment  to  the  regal  office  was  the  occa- 
sion of  discontent,  and  almost  mutiny,  among  the  people ; 
but  the  promptitude  and  valor  which  he  evinced  in  the  res- 
cue of  the  citizens  of  Jabesh-gilead  secured  to  him  the  will- 
ing homage  of  his  subjects.  His  reverence  for  God,  howev- 
er, was  not  equal  to  his  daring  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  he 
fretted  and  chafed  under  what  he  regarded  as  the  interfer- 
ence of  Jehovah  with  his  management  of  public  affairs. 

On  at  least  two  memorable  and  testing  occasions  he  show- 
ed his  determination  to  take  his  own  way,  in  defiance  of  the 
commands  of  the  Almighty. 

The  first  of  these  was  in  connection  with  an  effort  to  rid 
the  people  of  the  vexatious  bondage  under  which  they  were 
held  by  the  Philistines,  who  still  maintained  several  garri- 
sons in  the  midst  of  the  Promised  Land,  from  which  they 
came  forth  ever  and  anon  to  plunder  and  murder  the  inhab- 


THE  ANOINTING  AT  BETHLEHEM.  n 

itants.  Jonathan,  Saul's  noble  son,  had  taken  the  strong- 
hold of  Geba ;  and  the  king,  desirous  of  following  up  this 
success  by  a  general  assault  upon  the  enemy,  summoned 
the  people  to  Gilgal.  It  would  appear,  however,  that  Sam- 
uel had,  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  forbidden  him  to  do  any 
thing  until  he  had  arrived  and  offered  sacrifice,  and  that  he 
had  appointed  the  seventh  day  for  that  purpose.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  Philistines,  hearing  of  the  movements  of  the 
Israelites,  had  assembled  in  great  force,  and  came  up  to  of- 
fer battle.  Their  appearance  occasioned  a  panic  among  the 
Israelites,  and  Saul's  soldiers  were  deserting  on  every  hand, 
so  that,  in  his  view,  it  became  necessary  to  act  at  once. 
Hence,  on  the  seventh  day,  though  Samuel  had  not  yet  come, 
Saul,  thinking  to  stay  the  panic  that  had  set  in,  and  perhaps 
also  imagining  that  he  would  raise  himself  in  the  estimation 
of  the  army,  assumed  the  office  of  priest,  and  offered  sacri- 
fice with  his  own  hands. 

He  had  scarcely  finished  when  Samuel  arrived ;  and  hav- 
ing heard  what  the  king  had  done,  the  prophet  sorrowful- 
ly, yet  sternly,  said,  "  Thou  hast  done  foolishly :  thou  hast 
not  kept  the  commandment  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  which  he 
commanded  thee :  for  now  would  the  Lord  have  established 
thy  kingdom  upon  Israel  forever.  But  now  thy  kingdom 
shall  not  continue :  the  Lord  hath  sought  him  a  man  after 
his  own  heart,  and  the  Lord  hath  commanded  him  to  be 
captain  over  his  people,  because  thou  hast  not  kept  that 
which  the  Lord  commanded  thee."* 

The  second  similar  occasion  was  in  connection  with  a 
commission  which  Saul  received  to  destroy  the  Amalekites, 
who  were  ancient  foes  of  Israel,  and  whose  extermination 
was  needful  to  the  establishment  of  the  great  theocracy. 
The  order  was  very  severe.  No  one  was  to  be  spared,  and 

*  I  Sam.  xiii.,  13,  14. 


12  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

all  the  cattle  were  to  be  destroyed.  But  Saul  faltered  in 
carrying  it  out.  From  a  spirit  of  self-glory  he  spared  Agag, 
the  chief,  that  he  might  grace  his  triumphant  return  to  Gib- 
eah.  In  the  same  arrogant  disposition,  he  set  up  a  memo- 
rial of  his  victory  near  Carmel ;  and  preferring  his  own  way 
to  God's,  he  spared  the  flocks  and  herds  under  pretense  of 
making  a  great  offering  to  Jehovah.  Again,  however,  he 
was  confronted  by  Samuel,  who  upbraided  him  with  his  self- 
will,  and  gave  utterance  to  that  great  principle  which  had  in 
it  the  forecast  of  the  Gospel,  "  To  obey  is  better  than  sacri- 
fice, and  to  hearken  than  the  fat  of  rams."  Thereafter  the 
prophet  repeated  his  solemn  announcement,  "  Because  thou 
hast  rejected  the  word  of  the  Lord,  he  hath  also  rejected 
thee  from  being  king."  This  declaration  deeply  affected 
Saul,  and  he  sought  by  every  means  to  draw  from  Samuel 
some  revocation.  In  the  earnestness  of  his  appeal  he  even 
laid  hold  upon  the  prophet's  mantle,  but,  from  the  rending 
of  the  garment  in  the  royal  hand,  Samuel  only  took  occa- 
sion to  repeat  the  prediction  in  another  form,  saying,  "  The 
Lord  hath  rent  the  kingdom  of  Israel  from  thee  this  day, 
and  hath  given  it  to  a  neighbor  of  thine,  that  is  better  than 
thou."*  Still,  commiserating  the  humiliated  monarch,  the 
prophet  yielded  to  his  entreaty  so  far  as  to  continue  to  hon- 
or him  that  day  before  the  people,  but  after  he  had  with  his 
own  hands  put  to  death  the  chief  of  the  Amalekites,  Samuel 
withdrew  to  his  retirement  in  Ramah ;  and  so  far  as  the  rec- 
ord bears  he  saw  Saul  again  no  more,  save  for  a  brief  space 
at  Naioth,  until  that  night  of  terror  and  dismay  at  Endor, 
when  he  came  forth  from  his  grave  to  say  to  him,  "  To-mor- 
row shalt  thou  and  thy  sons  be  with  me." 

Alas !  for  Saul.     With  many  elements  of  greatness  about 
him,  and  having  withal  such  a  disposition  that  those  who 

*  I  Sam.  xv.,  22,  23,  28. 


THE  ANOINTING  AT  BETHLEHEM.  13 

were  most  intimately  connected  with  him  could  not  help  lik- 
ing him,  he  was  yet  the  creature  of  impulse,  swaying  ever- 
more between  his  better  and  his  worse  nature.  Now  he  was 
among  the  sons  of  the  prophets  entering  enthusiastically  into 
their  occupations,  and  catching  the  spirit  of  their  service ; 
and  anon  he  was  carried  away  by  some  caprice  of  self-con- 
ceit, or  some  freak  of  personal  inclination,  to  do  what  was 
utterly  inconsistent  with  the  position  which  he  occupied,  as 
the  servant  of  the  Lord  upon  the  throne  of  Israel.  Had  he 
yielded  to  the  promptings  of  his  nobler  self,  and  the  draw- 
ings of  God's  Spirit,  he  might  have  been  one  of  the  grandest 
characters  in  sacred  history ;  but  he  allowed  his  lower  nature 
to  predominate,  and  though  to  the  last  we  have  occasion- 
al outflashings  of  his  old  generosity  and  religiousness,  these 
were  but  like  the  glimmerings  of  an  expiring  lamp,  which 
went  out  in  a  darkness  so  profound  as  to  sadden  the  heart 
of  every  beholder.  As  Dean  Stanley  has  truly  remarked, 
"  His  religion  was  never  blended  with  his  moral  nature — his 
religious  zeal  was  always  breaking  out  in  wrong  channels  on 
irregular  occasions  in  his  own  way ;"  and  again  "  it  broke  out 
in  wild,  ungovernable  acts  of  zeal  and  superstition,  and  then 
left  him  a  prey  more  than  ever  to  his  own  savage  disposition."* 
With  splendid  opportunities  and  great  abilities,  he  yet  failed 
to  profit  by  either,  because  he  knew  not  "  the  day  of  his 
visitation,"  and  because  he  repudiated  the  conditions  within 
which  alone  he  could  have  risen  to  greatness.  Yet  there  was 
a  strange  charm  about  him  too.  Even  as  in  our  own  day  we 
may  know  some  reckless  youth,  with  frank,  impetuous  dispo- 
sition, and  occasional  impulses  to  right  things,  who  is  making 
shipwreck  of  himself,  and  whom,  in  spite  of  his  folly,  we  can 
not  help  liking,  so  we  are  drawn  toward  Saul  notwithstand- 
ing his  wickedness,  and  we  can  well  understand  how  Samuel 

*  "  The  Jewish  Church,"  vol.  ii.,  pp.  21, 24. 


14  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

felt  when  he  "mourned"  over  him.  He  had  hoped  so  much 
from  him  ;  he  had  seen  so  much  that  was  lovable  about 
him ;  and  yet  he  had  been  so  sadly  disappointed  in  him,  that 
we  do  not  wonder  at  his  sorrow.  Haply,  too,  he  was  cher- 
ishing the  expectation  that  he  might  yet  come  to  himself,  and 
redeem  the  promise  of  his  earlier  time.  But  it  was  not  so  to 
be,  for  now  the  command  comes  to  the  prophet,  "  How  long 
wilt  thou  mourn  for  Saul,  seeing  I  have  rejected  him  from 
reigning  over  Israel  ?  fill  thine  horn  with  oil,  and  go,  I  will 
send  thee  to  Jesse  the  Beth-lehemite :  for  I  have  provided  me 
a  king  among  his  sons." 

The  town  to  which  Samuel  was  now  sent  was  but  a  little 
one  among  the  thousands  of  Judah,  and  up  to  this  time  had 
not  come  into  any  great  prominence  in  the  history  of  the 
tribe.  It  is  about  five  miles  south  of  Jerusalem,  a  little  to 
the  east  of  the  road  that  leads  to  Hebron.  It  stands  upon 
the  summit  and  slopes  of  a  narrow  ridge,  which  projects  east- 
ward from  the  central  chain  of  the  Judean  mountains.  The 
sides  of  the  hill  below  the  village  are  carefully  terraced,  and 
even  in  modern  times  they  are  occupied  with  fertile  vine- 
yards ;  while  in  the  valleys  beneath,  and  on  a  little  plain  that 
lies  to  the  eastward,  there  are  some  corn-fields  whose  produce, 
perhaps,  gave  the  name  Bethlehem,  or  house  of  bread,  to  the 
town  with  which  they  were  connected.  Beyond  these  fields 
is  the  wilderness  of  Judea,  the  chief  features  of  which  are 
white  limestone  hills,  thrown  confusedly  together,  with  deep 
ravines  winding  in  and  out  among  them. 

The  place  never  was  of  any  great  political  importance  in 
the  land,  but  around  it  cluster  associations  which,  throughout 
eternity,  will  make  its  name  illustrious.  In  the  immediate 
neighborhood,  memorial  of  the  tenderest  sorrow  of  Jacob's 
life,  was  the  tomb  of  Rachel.  In  yonder  corn-fields  Ruth 
gleaned  after  the  reapers  of  Boaz,  on  those  never-to-be-for- 
gotten harvest-days  which  so  materially  changed  the  circum- 


THE  ANOINTING  AT  BETHLEHEM.  15 

stances  of  the  alien  woman,  and  made  her  the  ancestress  of 
a  royal  line,  whose  representative  sits  now  at  God's  right 
hand.  On  the  slopes  of  these  hills  David  was  watching  his 
father's  flocks  on  the  occasion  before  us ;  and  here,  too,  was 
announced  to  shepherds,  as  they  tended  their  charge  by 
night,  the  glad  tidings  of  the  birth  of  him  who  "  has  brought 
life  and  immortality  to  light." 

It  was  an  appropriate  training-place  for  the  future  king 
and  bard  of  Israel,  and  no  occupation  could  have  been  more 
conducive  to  the  development  in  him  of  those  qualities  of 
prudence,  promptitude,  and  prowess  which  his  after-life  re- 
quired, than  that  of  a  shepherd.  Its  solitude  would  cast  him 
upon  the  companionship  of  God ;  and  when  the  night  unveiled 
the  glory  of  the  stars,  he  would  become  familiar  with  the  gran- 
deur of  the  heavens,  thus  storing  his  mind  with  lofty  thoughts 
and  holy  musings,  which,  either  then  or  at  a  later  day,  came 
forth  glorified  and  made  immortal  by  the  music  of  his  verse. 
Nor  was  this  all :  his  unceasing  labors  and  occasional  conflicts 
with  wild  animals  from  the  neighboring  wilderness  would  give 
him  physical  strength;  while,  again,  his  proximity  to  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin  would  call  forth  in  him  a  desire  to  outrival,  in  their 
friendly  matches,  the  skill  of  those  eminent  marksmen  "  who 
could  sling  at  a  hair-breadth  and  not  miss,"  and  so,  all  un- 
consciously to  himself,  prepare  him  for  the  work  which  lay 
before  him. 

But  we  must  not  anticipate.  When  Samuel  received  his 
commission  he  was  filled  with  dismay,  and  said, "  How  can  I 
go?  if  Saul  hear  it,  he  will  kill  me."  This  fear  on  the  part 
of  one  who  was  usually  so  brave  may  indicate,  either  that 
the  mental  malady  with  which  Saul  was  latterly  afflicted  had 
already  begun  to  show  itself  in  fierce  outbreaks  of  passionate 
cruelty,  or  that  he  had  somehow  manifested  that  unscrupu- 
lous disregard  of  human  life  which  he  evinced  at  a  later  date 
on  more  than  one  occasion,  and  more  particularly  when  he 


1 6  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

caused  the  seventy  priests  of  Nob  to  be  put  to  death.  But 
the  Lord's  will  must  be  done.  So  he  is  commanded  to  al- 
lay suspicion  by  summoning  the  inhabitants  of  Bethlehem 
to  a  sacrifice.  Here,  however,  was  no  subterfuge.  There 
would  have  been  disingenuousness  if  he  had  professed  to  of- 
fer sacrifice,  while  he  really  meant  to  do  nothing  of  the  kind; 
but  he  did  carry  out  his  design  in  that  matter,  though  for  pru- 
dential considerations  he  made  no  public  allusion  to  the  oth- 
er commission  with  which  he  was  intrusted.  If  any  surprise 
be  felt  at  the  offering  of  sacrifice,  in  a  place  other  than  that 
appointed  in  the  Mosaic  law,  the  explanation  is  to  be  found 
in  the  fact  that  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  was  not 
at  this  time  in  the  Tabernacle,  but  in  the  city  of  Kirjath- 
jearim,  and  so  the  Tabernacle  had  ceased  for  the  present  to 
be  the  only  place  of  the  nation's  worship.* 

The  appearance  of  the  prophet  approaching  the  city,  and 
driving  a  heifer  before  him,  created  quite  a  sensation  among 
the  people.  They  feared  that  in  some  way  they  had  offend- 
ed God,  and  that  he  had  sent  his  servant  to  denounce  them 
and  to  bring  some  punishment  upon  their  heads.  Thus  nat- 
ural is  it  for  men  whose  consciences  tell  of  guilt,  to  fear  when 
any  thing  reminds  them  of  Jehovah.  Hundreds  of  years  af- 
ter this,  when  the  heavenly  light  was  seen  in  the  same  place 
by  the  shepherds,  they  too  were  "  sore  afraid  ;"  but  there  was 
as  little  ground  for  fear  in  the  one  case  as  in  the  other ;  for 
in  both  there  was  a  provided  sacrifice,  and  in  both  the  mis- 
sion was  one  of  peace ;  yea,  as  Samuel  came  to  anoint  David 
to  be  a  king,  so  the  angel-heralded  Jesus  appeared  "  to  make 
us  kings  and  priests  unto  our  Lord  and  his  Father." 

Having  exhorted  them  to  make  suitable  preparations  for 
the  sacred  service,  and  having  gone  through  the  necessary 
ritual  observances,  the  prophet  invited  Jesse  and  his  sons  to 

*  See  Keil  on  i  Samuel,  p.  168. 


THE  ANOINTING  AT  BETHLEHEM.  17 

take  their  places  at  the  feast  with  which  the  sacrifice  con- 
cluded ;  but  just  as  they  were  about  to  sit  down,  he  looked 
intently  at  the  young  men  to  see  which  of  them  was  the 
Lord's  anointed.  The  eldest  attracted  his  attention  by  his 
countenance  and  his  stature,  and  he  said  within  himself, 
"  This  must  be  he ;"  but  God,  reminding  him,  perhaps,  of  the 
same  features  about  Saul,  declared  that  he  had  refused  him, 
because  he  read  in  his  heart  unfitness  for  the  royal  office. 
Similarly  the  rest  were  passed,  until,  in  great  perplexity, 
Samuel  said  to  Jesse,  "Are  here  all  thy  children?"  The 
answer  revealed  to  him  that  the  youngest  was  in  the  field 
following  the  sheep,  whereupon  he  affirmed  that  they  could 
not  proceed  until  he  appeared,  and  directed  that  he  should 
be  sent  for  immediately. 

While,  therefore,  they  await  the  return  of  the  messenger, 
we  may  briefly  give  you  all  that  we  can  gather  from  the  page 
of  Scripture  of  the  genealogy  and  position  of  Jesse  and  his 
family.  From  the  table  at  the  end  of  the  book  of  Ruth, 
taken  in  connection  with  that  prefixed  to  the  gospel  of  Mat- 
thew, we  learn  that  Jesse  was  the  ninth,  in  direct  descent, 
from  Judah,  the  son  of  Jacob  ;  and  as  in  the  first  chapter  of 
the  book  of  Numbers  we  have  the  name  of  Nahshon,  the  fifth 
in  that  lineage,  with  the  title  "  prince  of  the  house  of  Judah  " 
attached  to  it,  we  may  fairly  presume  that  the  family  was  of 
great  importance  in  the  tribe.  We  know,  too,  that  Boaz,  the 
grandfather  of  Jesse,  was  a  wealthy  magnate  in  Bethlehem  ; 
and  so  we  may  conclude  that  Jesse  was,  if  not  the  chief  man 
in  the  place,  at  least  one  of  its  most  influential  inhabitants. 
In  the  tables  to  which  I  have  referred  the  names  of  two 
Gentile  women  occur — Rahab  of  Jericho,  and  Ruth  of  Moab 
— and  it  is  by  no  means  improbable  that  the  connection  of 
his  ancestors  with  Gentile  nations  may  have  had,  when  he 
came  to  know  it,  a  considerable  influence  on  the  mind  of 
David,  while,  perhaps,  it  contributed  in  after -days  to  his 


1 8  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

choice  of  Moab  as  an  asylum  for  his  parents  when  it  was  no 
longer  safe  for  them  to  remain  in  Bethlehem. 

The  family  of  Jesse  consisted  of  eight  sons  and  three 
daughters.  David  was  the  youngest  child ;  and  so  great  a 
difference  was  there  between  his  age  and  those  of  some  of 
the  elder  ones,  that  the  sons  of  his  sister  Zeruiah  seem  to 
have  been  brought  up  as  boys  along  with  him,  and  were 
through  life  associated  with  him — not  always  to  his  advan- 
tage. Of  his  mother  we  know  almost  nothing ;  her  name 
has  nowhere  been  preserved  for  us  in  sacred  history.  Some 
have  supposed  that  she  was  Jesse's  second  wife,  and  others 
have  not  scrupled  to  place  her  in  a  less  honorable  relation- 
ship ;  with  no  good  ground,  however,  so  far  as  I  can  see. 
David  in  his  Psalms  styles  himself,  on  more  than  one  occa- 
sion, "  the  son  of  God's  handmaid  ;"  and  this  leads  us  to  be- 
lieve that  she  had  a  holy  influence  upon  him,  and  that  it  was 
most  likely  from  her  lips  that  he  first  heard  the  wondrous 
story  of  God's  former  dealings  with  his  people,  as  well  as 
the  simple,  pathetic  pastoral  of  Ruth.  His  father  is  not  re- 
ferred to  by  him  in  any  such  way  as  to  evince  that  he  owed, 
either  intellectually  or  spiritually,  very  much  to  him.  In- 
deed, as  one  has  said,  Jesse  "  seems  to  have  been  a  sort 
of  dull  country  squire,  with  not  many  thoughts  beyond  his 
sheep,  and  not  many  aspirations  beyond  the  advancement 
of  himself  and  family.  He  manifestly  thought  very  little  of 
his  youngest  son  ;  perhaps  because  he  was  a  quiet,  thought- 
ful, pious  lad,  who  liked  better  to  make  hymns  and  sing 
them,  than  to  pursue  those  arts  by  which  his  older  brothers 
were  seeking  to  push  their  way  in  the  world."*  But  he  had 
a  firm  hold  on  his  mother's  heart ;  and  we  can  imagine  how, 
when  he  came  home  at  night  fatigued  by  the  day's  toils,  she 

*  Dr.  \V.  L.  Alexander,  of  Edinburgh :  "  Christian  Thought  and  Work," 
pp.  256,  257. 


THE  ANOINTING  AT  BETHLEHEM.  19 

would  soothe  and  solace  him,  and  minister  to  his  wants, 
bringing  with  her  some  well-saved  dainty  which  she  knew  he 
would  prize ;  how,  when  he  spoke  to  her  some  of  his  musings 
over  the  realities  of  the  world  unseen,  she  would  enter  into 
his  views  and  feelings,  and  deepen  every  salutary  impres- 
sion ;  and  how,  when  he  sung  to  her  some  simple  song 
which  he  had  made  that  day  while  following  the  flock,  she 
would  shield  him  from  the  ridicule  of  his  brothers,  and 
give  him,  in  her  loving  appreciation  of  his  verse,  a  new  in- 
spiration, firing  his  heart  with  the  ambition  of  some  day 
producing  such  poetry  that  "  the  world  would  not  willingly 
let  it  die." 

But  yonder  he  comes !  with  his  shepherd's  crook  in  his 
hand,  his  face  flushed  with  the  exertions  he  has  been  mak- 
ing to  obey  his  father's  call,  his  auburn  hairf_flowing  in  the 
breeze,  and  a  light  flashing  from  his  fair,  bright  eyes.  We 
can  easily  picture  him  to  ourselves  as,  with  bashful  surprise, 
he  felt  the  holy  oil  suffuse  his  head,  and  saw  it  flow  even  to 
the  skirts  of  his  garments. 

We  are  not  informed  whether  Samuel  explained  to  him,  or 
to  his  father,  the  meaning  of  this  sacred  rite.  The  likeli- 
hood is  that  he  did  not,  because  his  words  would  have  been 
sure  in  some  way  or  other  to  have  reached  the  ears  of  Saul, 
and  then  all  his  prudential  measures  would  have  been  taken 
in  vain.  But  David  would  receive  all  needful  knowledge 
from  another  quarter,  for  "the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon_ 
Jnm Jrpmthat  day  forward."  I^ot  with.  s"tormlul  gust,  like 
that  which  TwepT'over  th"e~soul  of  Saul  when  he  met  the 
children  of  the  prophets,  and  which  speedily  passed  away ; 
but  with  the  gentle  silence  of  the  opening  dawn  which  bright- 
ens into  perfect  day,  the  Spirit  came  into  David's  heart,  and 
soon,  by  his  secret,  supernatural  suggestions,  he  would  dis- 

*  I  Sam.  xii.,  6. 


20  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

cover  for  what  purpose  the  prophet  had  emptied  his  horn  of 
oil  upon  his  head. 

It  was  a  crisis  in  his  history.  He  entered  from  that  mo- 
ment upon  a  higher  stage  of  life  than  that  on  which  hereto- 
fore he  had  stood.  The  light-hearted  boy  became  a  thought- 
ful youth,  forecasting  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  his 
future  career ;  but,  far  from  considering  the  tending  of  his 
sheep  a  work  too  menial  for  one  on  whom  the  consecrating 
oil  had  been  shed,  he  went  back  to  it,  seeing  in  it  a  new  sig- 
nificance as  a  preparative  for  the  nobler  labors  that  lay  be- 
fore him.  He  sought  to  fit  himself  for  the  loftier  sphere  by 
continuing  faithfully  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  humbler ; 
and  while  he  was  far  from  putting  away  from  him  the  exal- 
tation which  was  in  store  for  him,  he  was  content  to  wait  un- 
til it  was  God's  time  for  him  to  rise  to  it.  The  revelation 
of  the  future  neither  soured  his  heart  at  the  present,  nor 
turned  him  away  from  the  work  he  was  required  to  do. 
The  day  that  was  passing  over  him  only  acquired  new  im- 
portance in  his  eyes  because  of  the  revelation  of  the  future 
which  had  been  given  him ;  and  he  was  not  the  less  watchful 
as  a  shepherd,  but  rather  the  more,  because  he  knew  that 
there  was  a  throne  before  him. 

How  much  is  there  in  all  this  to  instruct  us  who  believe 
in  Jesus  Christ !  By  the  holy  anointing  of  the  Spirit  we 
too  have  been  designated  for  a  throne,  but  let  us  not  be 
high-minded  because  of  that.  Let  us  rather  continue  here 
at  the  daily  work  which  he  has  set  us,  grappling  manfully 
with  the  spiritual  enemies  by  whom  we  are  beset,  even  as 
David  slew  the  lion  and  the  bear  that  came  to  his  flock, 
and  soothing  our  spirits  the  while  with  the  music  of  a  psalm, 
even  as  David  sang  while  following  his  sheep.  Then,  when 
it  is  God's  time  for  us  to  rise,  we  shall  hear  his  voice  saying 
to  us,  "  Come  up  hither,"  and  shall  discover  that,  by  the  daily 
discipline  of  duty  done  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  we 


THE  ANOINTING  AT  BETHLEHEM.  21 

have  been  making  ourselves  ready  for  the  throne  on  which 
we  shall  be  placed. 

The  narrative  over  which  we  have  thus  come,  introducto- 
ry though  it  be,  is  rich  in  practical  suggestiveness ;  but  we 
can  stay  now  to  give  point  to  only  two  or  three  reflections. 

We  may  see  in  the  history  of  Saul,  which  we  have  briefly 
summarized,  how  important  it  is  that  we  should  make  the 
most  of  the  opportunities  which  God  puts  before  us.  There 
came  to  the  son  of  Kish  a  tidal  time  of  favor,  which,  if  he 
had  only  recognized  and  improved  it,  might  have  carried 
him,  not  only  to  greatness,  but  to  goodness.  But  he  proved 
faithless  to  the  trust  which  was  committed  to  him,  and  be- 
came in  the  end  a  worse  man  than  he  would  have  been,  if 
no  such  privileges  had  been  conferred  upon  him.  We  can 
not  read  his  history  without  observing  how,  as  his  life  wore 
on,  the  good  features  in  his  character  disappeared,  and  he 
who  once  promised  to  bear  much  goodly  fruit  had  in  the 
end  "  nothing  but  leaves,"  and  was  blighted  by  the  curse  of 
barrenness.  His  career  is  a  melancholy  illustration  of  the 
truth  of  the  Saviour's  words,  "  From  him  that  hath  not,  shall 
be  taken  away  even  that  he  hath."  Let  the  young  take  note 
of  the  lesson  and  the  warning.  Whether  you  know  it  or 
not,  God  has  given  you  special  opportunities,  and  according 
as  you  deal  with  these  he  will  deal  with  you.  There  have 
been  times,  mayhap,  when  you  too  were  "  among  the  proph- 
ets," and  felt  within  you  the  stirrings  and  strivings  of  the 
Holy  Spirit;  but  what  has  been  the  result?  WTere  you 
changed  thereby  merely  into  "  other  "  men  ;  or  did  you  be- 
come "  new  creatures  "  in  Christ  Jesus  ?  Depend  upon  it, 
after  all  such  experiences  you  can  not  continue  quite  as  you 
were  before.  If  you  have  not  "been  the  better  for  them,  you 
must  be  the  worse,  and  if  they  come  again,  beware  how  you 
deal  with  them !  Once,  long  after,  Saul  came  again  under 
influences  and  impressions  similar  to  those  which  he  felt  at 


22  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

the  beginning  of  his  career ;  but  he  let  that  day  of  grace 
also  pass,  and  in  the  end  he  felt  that  God  had  departed 
from  him.  Let  it  not  be  so  with  you.  "Quench  not  the 
Spirit "  by  your  follies  and  your  sins,  but  yield  yourselves  up 
to  God  through  Jesus  Christ,  and  live  always  and  only  for 
him ;  so  shall  the  opportunities  which  he  has  given  you  be- 
come the  steps  on  that  great  life-ladder  up  which  you  climb 
to  heaven.  See  that  you  know  the  "  clay  of  your  visitation ;" 
and  that  you  may  make  no  mistake,  where  mistake  is  so  fa- 
tal, let  every  day  be  to  you  a  day  of  grace.  Determine  by 
the  help  of  God's  Spirit  to  make  the  best  of  it  for  the  devel- 
opment within  you  of  a  holy  character,  and  for  the  promo- 
tion around  you  of  the  good  of  souls.  God  has  anointed 
you  to  rule  over  your  own  spirits,  and  to  bring  them  "  into 
captivity  to  the  obedience  of  Christ ;"  but  if  you  despise 
this  glorious  royalty,  and  give  yourselves  over  to  iniquity,  he 
will  despise  you,  and  give  you  over  to  destruction. 

We  may  see,  again,  in  Jehovah's  expostulation  with  Sam- 
uel concerning  Eliab,  the  solemn  truth  that  in  the  eye  of  the 
All -seeing  the  heart  is  the  man.  "God  looketh  on  the 
heart."  It  makes  little  matter,  therefore,  what  the  outward 
appearance  is,  while,  if  the  heart  be  wrong,  nothing  can  be 
right.  There  is  much,  no  doubt,  in  the  bodily  development 
to  attract  the  eye,  and  I  would  not  undervalue  attention  to 
the  symmetrical  discipline  of  the  physical  frame.  Yet  mus- 
cularity is  not  Christianity,  and  bodily  beauty  is  not  holiness. 
The  character,  therefore,  ought  to  be  the  principal  object  of 
your  attention.  Not  how  you  look,  but  what  you  are,  ought 
to  be  the  first  care  of  your  lives  ;  for  if  you  have  a  selfish  dis- 
position, a  sordid  soul,  or  a  sinful  life,  your  outward  beauty 
will  be  like  "  a  jewel  in  a  swine's  snout,"  and  your  bodily 
vigor  will  only  be  like  the  strength  of  a  safe  in  which  noth- 
ing worth  preserving  is  locked  up.  Let  your  aim  be  to  be 
holy ;  and  if  you  will  only  turn  in  faith  to  Jesus,  and  follow 


THE  ANOINTING  AT  BETHLEHEM.  23 

in  the  footsteps  of  his  example,  your  soul  will  become  beau- 
tiful in  Jehovah's  eyes,  and  your  life  will  become,  even  in  the 
view  of  your  fellow-men,  bright  with  a  glory  which  is  not  of 
earth. 

We  may  see  once  more,  from  the  anointing  of  David,  that 
we  need  a  special  preparation  for  the  service  of  God.  In  the 
old  economy,  the  prophet,  the  priest,  and  the  king  were  set 
apart  to  their  offices  by  the  pouring  of  oil  upon  their  heads ; 
and  this  was,  as  the  history  before  us  makes  apparent,  the 
symbol  of  the  conferring  upon  them  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Under  the  New  Testament  dispensation  there  are  no  such 
offices,  or,  rather,  every  believer  is  himself,  in  a  subordinate 
sense,  a  king,  priest,  and  prophet,  all  in  one.  Now,  for  the 
services  which  we  are  as  such  to  render  to  God  and  to  our 
fellow-men  we  need  a  special  unction  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Be  it  ours,  therefore,  to  make  earnest  application  for  this  su- 
preme anointing.  We  have  each  his  own  work  to  do,  but 
we  shall  fail  to  do  it  rightly,  unless  the  Spirit  of  glory  and  of 
God  do  rest  upon  us.  To-night,  like  another  Samuel,  I  am 
sent  to  tell  you  that  God  is  willing  to  consecrate  you  as  his 
"  kings  and  priests ;"  that  you  may  serve  him  in  the  Gospel 
of  his  Son,  alike  in  your  daily  labor  and  your  sacred  exer- 
cises. Despise  not,  I  pray  you,  this  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Uncover  your  heads  for  this  heavenly  oil ;  open  your 
hearts  for  the  admission  of  this  celestial  influence;  and  hear 
these  words  from  the  mouth  of  Him  who  solemnly  ordains 
you  to  this  ministry  of  life  :  "  Know  ye  not  that  your  body 
is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  in  you,  which  ye 
have  of  God,  and  ye  are  not  your  own  ?  For  ye  are  bought 
with  a  price  :  therefore  glorify  God  in  your  body,  and  in  your 
spirit,  which  are  God's." 


II. 

MEDICINAL  MUSIC. 
i  SAMUEL  xvi.,  14-23. 

AFTER  Samuel's  rebuke  at  Gilgal,  Saul  appears  to  have 
become  more  abandoned  than  ever.  He  brooded 
over  his  rejection  as  if  it  had  been  a  wrong  done  to  him  ; 
and  though  in  his  inmost  heart  he  felt  that  he  had  sinned, 
he  would  neither  make  acknowledgment  of  his  transgression, 
nor  return  to  a  proper  mind.  He  became  moody,  irritable, 
vindictive,  and  gloomy,  a  source  of  misery  to  himself,  and  a 
cause  of  anxiety  and  terror  to  all  who  were  around  him. 
The  moral  balance  of  his  nature,  weak  and  unsteady  as  it 
had  always  been,  seems  now  to  have  been  almost  destroyed, 
and  even  his  intellect  became  beclouded,  for  he  exhibited 
symptoms  closely  akin  to  those  of  mental  aberration. 

The  cause  and  nature  of  the  malady  with  which  he  was 
afflicted  are  described  in  the  narrative  by  these  two  phrases : 
"The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  departed  from  Saul,"  and  "An  evil 
spirit  from  the  Lord  troubled  him."  There  is  thus  both  a 
privative  and  a  positive  proposition,  and  it  is  extremely  dif- 
ficult to  determine  what  precisely  is  indicated  by  their  com- 
bination. In  regard  to  the  negative  or  privative  declaration 
to  the  effect  that  "the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  had  departed  from 
Saul,"  we  may  take  it  to  mean  that  God  withdrew  from  him 
all  those  special  aids  which,  in  connection  with  his  anointing 
to  the  royal  office,  had  been  conferred  upon  him.  Perhaps, 
also,  we  may  include  in  it  the  taking  away  from  him  of  those 
gracious  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  without  which  a  man 
becomes,  in  the  saddest  and  solemnest  of  all  senses, "  aban- 


MEDICINAL  Music.  25 

doned."  This  is  what  Paul  has  described  as  a  "being  given 
over  to  a  reprobate  mind,  to  do  those  things  which  are  not 
convenient ;"  and  what,  in  the  simple  Saxon  of  our  common 
speech,  we  call  "  a  being  left  to  one's  self."  The  Saviour 
has  said,  "  From  him  that  hath  not  shall  be  taken  away  even 
that  he  hath."  Now,  in  Saul,  as  we  have  already  hinted,  we 
have  a  deeply  suggestive  instance  of  the  execution  of  this 
sentence.  He  had  received  not  one  talent  only,  but  many ; 
yet  he  failed  to  improve  them,  and  so  they  were  taken  from 
him,  and  he  was  left,  in  a  large  degree,  the  mental  and  moral 
wreck  of  his  former  self.  He  was  deprived  of  all  the  special 
gifts  which  had  been  conferred  upon  him,  and  set  free  from 
all  those  restraining  influences  which  had  been  exerted  upon 
him,  and  which  had  kept  him  from  those  aggravated  iniqui- 
ties into  which  he  aftenvard  fell. 

This  was  sad  enough,  for,  as  Delany  says,  "No  man  needs 
a  heavier  chastisement  from  Almighty  God  than  the  letting 
loose  of  his  own  passions  upon  him."*  Still  the  positive  ex- 
pression, "An  evil  spirit  from  the  Lord  troubled  him,"  would 
appear  to  indicate  that  there  was  something  more,  and  more 
dreadful  even  than  this,  though  what  that  something  was,  it  is 
not  easy  now  to  determine.  On  such  a  subject  it  would  be 
the  height  of  folly  for  any  man  to  dogmatize ;  but  just  as  in 
the  case  of  Job,  the  Lord  permitted  Satan  to  visit  him  with 
calamity  and  evil,  with  the  view  of  bringing  out  thereby  more 
vividly  before  men's  eyes  the  saintliness  of  the  patriarch's 
character ;  and  as  in  that  of  Paul,  a  messenger  of  Satan,  in 
the  shape  of  a  thorn  in  the  flesh,  was  permitted  to  buffet  him 
lest  he  should  be  exalted  above  measure ;  so  here,  it  seems 
to  me,  that  God  made  use  of  an  evil  spirit  in  order  to  inflict 
judicial  punishment  upon  Saul ;  and,  for  my  own  part,  I  do 

*  "  Historical  Account  of  the  Life  and  Reign  of  David,  King  of  Israel," 
vol.  i.,  p.  26. 

2 


26  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

not  see  any  thing  more  mysterious  in  such  an  employment 
of  evil  spirits  in  the  present  state,  than  there  is  in  the  idea 
that  these  spirits  shall  in  some  terrible  way  intensify  the  mis- 
ery of  the  lost  in  the  world  to  come.  We  have  here,  then,  as 
we  think,  something  like  a  case  of  demoniacal  possession, 
having  its  root  and  origin  in  the  moral  perversion  of  the  soul 
itself.  It  would  be  wrong,  indeed,  to  assert  that  in  all  cases 
of  that  sort  described  in  Scripture,  the  malady  was  the  con- 
sequence of  special  sin  in  the  individual  afflicted  by  it ;  nev- 
ertheless, as  Trench  has  remarked,  "  It  should  not  be  lost 
sight  of,  that  lavish  sin,  superinducing,  as  it  often  would,  a 
weakness  of  the  nervous  system,  wherein  is  the  special  bond 
between  the  body  and  the  soul,  may  have  laid  open  those  un- 
happy ones  to  the  fearful  incursions  of  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness."* And,  from  the  peculiar  language  here  employed, 
there  is  hardly  room  for  doubt  that,  by  the  mysterious  judicial 
permission  of  God,  and  as  a  punishment  for  his  stubborn 
rebellion,  such  a  spirit  now  laid  hold  on  Saul,  widening  and 
deepening  the  gulf  of  separation  which  already  existed  be- 
tween him  and  Jehovah.  He  that  will  do  evil  of  his  own 
choice  is  ultimately  given  over  to  evil  as  his  master.  This  is 
the  dreadful  law,  and  in  the  present  instance  that  mastery 
was  maintained  by  the  personal  agency  of  one  of  those  spir- 
itual beings  which  are  subordinate  to  the  prince  of  darkness. 
Farther  than  this  on  such  a  subject  we  dare  not  venture,  only 
we  may  take  to  ourselves  the  lesson  of  warning  with  which  it 
is  fraught,  and  learn  to  be  on  our  guard,  lest,  refusing  the 
guiding  influence  of  God's  Holy  Spirit,  we  too  should  be 
given  over  to  the  dominion  of  Satan ;  for  though  demoni- 
acal possession  in  its  ancient  form  has  disappeared  from 
among  us,  it  is  yet  too  sadly  possible  for  the  prince  of  dark- 
ness to  hold  us  captives  at  his  will,  and  to  rule  in  those 

*  "  Notes  on  the  Miracles,"  p.  161. 


MEDICINAL  Music.  27 

high  places  within  us,  in  which  God  alone  should  be  en- 
throned. 

The  servants  of  Saul,  devoted  to  him  by  that  personal  at- 
tachment, of  which  we  have  already  seen  a  remarkable  in- 
stance in  Samuel  himself,  were  deeply  concerned  on  his  ac- 
count, and  did  every  thing  that  they  could  think  of,  to  alle- 
viate his  misery  and  cheer  his  spirit.  But  it  was  of  no  avail. 
At  length,  becoming  convinced  that  the  thing  was  of  God, 
they  bethought  themselves  of  some  special  remedy ;  and  one 
would  have  imagined  that,  as  they  saw  so  clearly  the  divine 
hand  in  the  malady,  they  would  have  counseled  Iheir  lord 
to  return  in  submission  to  Jehovah,  and  to  call  in  the  aid 
of  Samuel.  But,  whether  they  feared  that  such  advice  would 
have  been  unwelcome,  and  might  therefore  rather  have 
tended  to  aggravate  the  evil,  or  whether  they  were  them- 
selves so  defiant  of  God  as  deliberately  to  pass  him  over  in 
their  thoughts,  we  can  not  tell.  All  we  know  is,  that  they  had 
recourse  not  to  a  spiritual,  but  to  a  material  remedy.  They 
suggested  music ;  and  if  the  disease  had  been  merely  a  phys- 
ical thing,  they  had  prescribed  well,  for  there  is  a  virtue  in 
"  the  concord  of  sweet  sounds  "  to  soothe  the  fretting  brain 
and  calm  the  troubled  nerves ;  and  men  in  every  age,  from  the 
invention  of  musical  instruments  till  now,  have  in  such  cases 
availed  themselves  of  its  aid  with  much  effect.  Interesting 
instances  in  illustration  of  this  are  given  in  abundance,  by 
those  who  have  made  this  subject  a  special  study.  We  may 
mention  a  few.  Seneca  tells  us  that  Pythagoras  quieted  the 
troubles  of  his  mind  with  a  harp  ;  and  in  Pindar  ^Esculapius 
figures  as  healing  acute  disorders  with  soothing  songs.  "A 
story,  too,  is  told  of  Farinelli,  the  famous  singer,  being  sent 
for  express  to  Madrid,  to  try  the  effect  of  his  magical  voice 
on  the  King  of  Spain  (Philip  the  Fifth),  who  was  then  buried 
in  the  profoundest  melancholy,  proof  against  every  appeal  to 
exertion,  living  without  signs  of  life  in  a  darkened  chamber, 


28  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

the  unresisting  prey  of  dejection  beyond  relief.  The  vocal- 
ist was  desired  by  the  physicians  to  sing  in  an  outer  room, 
which  for  a  day  or  two  he  did,  without  any  effect  upon  the  roy- 
al patient.  But  at  length  it  was  noticed  that  the  king  seemed 
partially  roused  from  his  stupor,  and  became  an  evident  list- 
ener ;  next  day  tears  were  seen  starting  from  his  eyes ;  the 
day  after  he  ordered  the  door  of  his  chamber  to  be  left  open  ; 
and  at  last  'the  perturbed  spirit  entirely  left  him,  and  the 
medicinal  voice  of  Farinelli  effected  what  no  other  medicine 
could.'  Similarly,  we  find  that  in  literature  and  the  drama 
kindred  effects  are  ascribed  to  music."  Readers  of  Scott  will 
remember  how  a  frenzied  Highlander  is  soothed  into  self- 
restraint  by  the  minstrelsy  of  Annot  Lyle.  Goethe  makes 
the  first  bar  of  an  air  by  Gretchen  suffice  to  lull  the  sorrows 
of  young  Werther,  who  protests  that  "instantly  the  gloom 
and  madness  which  hung  over  him  were  dispersed,  and  he 
breathed  freely  again."  And  Robert  Browning  has  these 
beautiful  lines,  as  the  utterance  of  one  who  is  listening  to 
sweet  sounds : 

"  My  heart !  they  loose  my  heart,  those  simple  words ; 
Its  darkness  passes,  which  naught  else  could  touch, 
Like  some  dank  snake  that  force  may  not  expel, 
Which  glideth  out  to  music  sweet  and  low."* 

But  it  is  more  pertinent  to  our  present  purpose  to  remind 
you  that,  when  Elisha's  spirit  had  been  fretted  and  chafed 
by  the  presence  of  the  wicked  Jehoram,  he  called  for  a  min- 
strel, and  under  the  soothing  strains  of  his  music  he  so  re- 
gained his  wonted  composure  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
came  upon  him.  Now  this  last  instance  may  fitly  illustrate 
all  that  music  could  do  for  Saul.  It  could  not  effect  a  per- 
manent cure.  It  simply  created  a  temporary  alleviation. 

*  For  these  and  many  similar  allusions,  see  "Scripture  Texts  Illus- 
trated," by  Francis  Jacox.     First  series,  pp.  55-60. 


MEDICINAL  Music.  29 

The  words  of  Delaney  here  seem  to  me  most  judicious. 
"  We  have  reason,"  says  he,  "  to  believe,  nor  will  the  best 
philosophy  forbid  us,  that  quieting  the  perturbations  of  the 
mind  is  absolutely  necessary  toward  receiving  the  sacred  in- 
fluences of  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  and  if  so,  then  we  may  fairly 
conclude  that  the  same  state  of  mind  which  fats  us  for  the 
influence  of  good  spirits  as  naturally  unfits  us  for  the  influ- 
ence of  such  as  are  evil ;  and  therefore  the  same  power  of 
music  which  quieted  Elisha's  rage  (and  indignation  against 
the  idolatrous  Jehoram),  and  fitted  him  for  the  agency  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  might  for  the  same  reason,  by  quiet- 
ing Saul's  unruly  passions,  unfit  him  for  the  agency  of  the 
evil  spirit  which  troubled  him,  and  of  consequence  work  his 
cure  for  that  time."*.  Hence,  though  it  did  not  go  to  the  root 
of  the  evil,  the  suggestion  of  Saul's  servants  was  valuable 
so  far  as  pointing  to  a  temporary  mitigation  of  the  calamity. 
Their  advice  seems  to  have  been  given  in  one  of  the  mon- 
arch's lucid  intervals ;  and  it  so  met  his  approval  that  he  at 
once  gave  the  command,  "  Provide  me  now  a  man  that  can 
play  well,  and  bring  him  to  me."  On  making  inquiry,  it  was 
found  that  one  of  the  servants  of  his  house  had  met  David, 
and  had  either  heard  him  play,  or  had  heard  of  his  great 
musical  ability,  and  on  his  report  a  messenger  was  at  once 
dispatched  to  Jesse  desiring  the  immediate  attendance  of  his 
youngest  son  at  Gibeah.  Notice  the  description  that  is  here 
given  of  the  youthful  shepherd :  "  Cunning  in  playing,  and  a 
mighty,  valiant  man,  and  prudent  in  matters  (or,  as  the  mar- 
gin has  it,  in  speech),  and  a  comely  person,  and  the  Lord  is 
with  him."  We  are  not  surprised  to  find  here  mention  made 
of  his  skill  in  music  and  his  comeliness  in  person,  but  it 
is  not  so  easy  to  account  for  the  fact  that  he  is  styled  "  a 


*  "Historical  Account  of  the  Life  of  David,  King  of  Israel,"  vol  i., 
p.  28. 


30  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

mighty  valiant  man,  and  a  man  of  war;"  and  from  the  diffi- 
culty which  these  words  present,  it  has  been  supposed  that 
by  some  accident  there  has  been  a  transposition  of  two  sec- 
tions of  the  narrative  at  this  particular  portion  of  the  book 
of  Samuel.  To  put  the  case  clearly  before  you,  we  must  an- 
ticipate one  or  two  of  the  incidents  in  the  succeeding  chap- 
ter. Observe,  then,  that  it  is  said  that  after  David's  perform- 
ances on  the  harp,  Saul  made  him  his  armor-bearer;  and 
again,  that  after  the  conflict  between  him  and  Goliath,  Saul 
asked,  "Whose  son  is  this  youth?"  as  if  he  had  been,  up  till 
that  moment,  ignorant  of  every  thing  about  him.  It  is  hence 
inferred  by  some  that  the  narrative  on  which  we  are  now 
engaged  has  fallen  out  of  its  proper  place,  and  that  it  should 
be  taken  in  after  the  next  chapter,  or  rather  between  the 
ninth  and  tenth  verses  of  the  eighteenth  chapter.  But  this 
seems  to  me  to  be  a  violent  cutting  of  the  knot,  while,  in  re- 
ality, it  does  not  free  us  from  the  difficulty;  for  if  the  descrip- 
tion of  David  by  Saul's  servant  in  the  section  before  us  were 
given  after  the  duel  with  the  giant,  it  is  inconceivable  that 
no  mention  should  have  been  made  of  that  great  victorv ; 
while  again,  after  the  events  of  that  memorable  day,  it  is  im- 
probable that  Saul  should  not  have  known  and  recognized 
who  David  was  from  his  servant's  description  of  him ;  and 
as  after  that  deed  of  prowess  David  was  the  special  object 
of  Saul's  jealousy,  his  presence  would  have  tended  rather 
to  aggravate,  than  to  mitigate,  the  malady  from  which  he  suf- 
fered. On  the  whole,  therefore,  though  the  narrative  is  by 
no  means  free  from  difficulties,  I  prefer  to  take  it  in  the  or- 
der here  given,  the  rather  as  there  is  nothing  in  any  of  the 
Hebrew  manuscripts,  or  in  any  of  the  ancient  versions,  to 
indicate  that  a  transposition  has  occurred. 

But  what,  then,  is  the  meaning  of  the  words  "a  mighty 
man  of  valor,"  and  "  a  man  of  war,"  as  applied  to  a  youth 
like  David  ?  I  answer  that  the  reference  may  be  to  his  sue- 


MEDICINAL  Music.  31 

cessful  encounters  with  wild  beasts  in  the  keeping  of  his 
flocks,  or  to  his  valiant  resistance  of  the  wandering  Arabs, 
who  then,  like  the  modern  Bedouins,  roamed  through  the 
land,  making  prey  of  every  thing  on  which  they  could  lay 
their  hands.  Stories  of  David's  youthful  prowess,  as  well 
as  of  his  skill  in  music  and  his  pre-eminent  piety,  must  have 
been  common  in  the  neighborhood,  so  that  already  he  had  a 
reputation  for  bravery  before  he  faced  Goliath ;  and  proba- 
bly it  is  to  his  local  renown  for  such  encounters  that  Eliab 
refers  when,  on  David's  appearance  in  the  Valley  of  Elah, 
he  taunts  him  with  having  left  his  sheep,  and  upbraids  him 
with  having  come  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  see  the  bat- 
tle. The  phrase  "prudent  in  matters,"  means  also,  "skill- 
ful in  words  ;"  and  so  it  may  refer  either  to  his  signal  sagac- 
ity, or  to  his  ability  in  the  composition  of  extempore  verses, 
with  which,  like  the  Italian  improvisator,  and  the  minstrels 
of  the  Scottish  border  of  a  later  day,  he  accompanied  the 
music  of  his  harp. 

In  any  case,  the  description  so  pleased  Saul  that  he  sent  a 
messenger  to  Jesse  forthwith,  saying,  "  Send  me  David  thy 
son,  which  is  with  the  sheep."  We  can  not  tell  with  what 
feelings  Jesse  received  this  command.  What  could  Saul 
want  with  his  son  ?  Could  there  be  any  eVil  hanging  over 
his  house  ?  or  was  it,  that  the  visit  of  Samuel  to  him  was  now 
about  to  bear  visible  fruits  ?  Between  these  two  anticipations 
of  fear  and  hope  his  mind  would  vibrate ;  and  as  he  laded 
the  ass  with  the  simple  present  that  David  was  to  bear  to 
Saul,  we  can  imagine  with  what  unwonted  fervor  he  would 
commend  his  youngest-born  to  the  keeping  of  his  God.  But 
who  may  describe  the  feelings  that  swelled  up  in  the  heart 
of  the  young  shepherd  himself?  When,  as  he  followed  his 
sheep,  he  thrilled  the  strings  of  his  much-loved  lyre,  he  had 
little  idea  that  it  was  by  his  harp  he  was  first  to  be  brought 
into  prominence  in  the  land  •  and  now  as  he  sets  out  for  Gib- 


32  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

eah,  and  thinks  of  the  anointing  that  he  had  received  from 
Samuel's  hands,  and  of  the  future  that  lay  all  untrodden  before 
him,  I  can  almost  imagine  him  anticipating  some  of  his  later 
strains,  and  saying,  "  Hold  up  my  goings  in  thy  paths,  that 
my  footsteps  slip  not.  Lead  me  in  thy  truth,  and  teach  me  : 
for  thou  art  the  God  of  my  salvation ;  on  thee  do  I  wait  all 
the  day."*  "Truly,"  as  Kitto  says,  "it  is  a  pleasant  picture 
to  conceive  the  future  king  of  Israel  stepping  lightly  along 
behind  the  ass,  with  his  shepherd  staff  and  scrip,  and  en- 
tertained as  he  went  by  the  gambols  of  the  kid.  His  light 
harp  was  no  doubt  slung  to  his  back ;  and  it  is  likely  that 
he  now  and  then  rested  under  a  tree  and  solaced  his  soul 
with  its  music.  His  fearless  temper  would  not  allow  him  to 
look  forward  to  the  result  of  his  journey  with  misgivings ; 
or  if  a  doubt  crossed  his  mind,  he  found  sufficient  rest  in 
confidence  in  God."t 

The  distance  from  Bethlehem  to  Gibeah  was  a  little  short 
of  twelve  miles,  and  the  road  lay  down  the  valley  of  Reph- 
aim,  near  to  the  stronghold  of  Zion,  which  was  still  held  by 
the  Jebusites.  As  he  passed  Moriah's  rocky  ridge,  did  there 
come  into  his  young  heart  any  premonition  of  the  day  when 
his  own  palace  should  crown  the  hill  of  Zion,  and  the  thresh- 
ing-floor of  Araunah  should  be  consecrated  for  Jehovah's 
temple  ?  We  can  not  tell ;  but  often,  I  doubt  not,  in  after 
times,  as  he  looked  abroad  from  the  heights  of  Jerusalem,  or 
from  the  roof  of  his  palace,  there  would  rise  up  before  him 
the  remembrance  of  this  early  journey,  when,  with  his  lowly 
present  and  his  humble  harp  he  went  to  begin  the  world  at 
the  court  of  Saul ;  and,  as  then,  he  thought  of  God's  favor  to 
him  through  all  the  intervening  years,  I  can  almost  hear 
him  saying,  "O  how  great  is  thy  goodness,  which  thou  hast 
laid  up  for  them  that  fear  thee ;  which  thou  hast  wrought  for 

*  Psa.  xvii.,  5 ;  xxv.,  5.     t  "  Daily  Bible  Illustrations,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  229. 


MEDICINAL  Music.  33 

them  that  trust  in  thee  before  the  sons  of  men  !  Thou  shalt 
hide  them  in  the  secret  of  thy  presence  from  the  pride  of 
man  :  thou  shalt  keep  them  secretly  in  a  pavilion  from  the 
strife  of  tongues.  Blessed  be  the  Lord :  for  he  hath  showed 
me  his  marvelous  kindness  in  a  strong  city."* 

Arrived  at  Gibeah,  David  was  at  once  presented  to  Saul, 
upon  whom  he  made  such  a  favorable  impression  that  he 
was  taken  forthwith  into  his  regard,  and  appointed  as  one 
of  his  armor-bearers ;  nay  more,  the  king  desired  his  con- 
stant presence  at  the  court,  and  sent  to  Jesse,  saying,  "  Let 
David,  I  pray  thee,  stand  before  me ;  for  he  hath  found  fa- 
vor in  my  sight."  And  ever  as  some  new  attack  of  his  mal- 
ady seized  him,  David  was  there  with'  his  harp  and  holy 
hymns  to  soothe  his  soul,  and  "  Saul  was  refreshed,  and  was 
well,  and  the  evil  spirit  departed  from  him."  To  borrow 
the  lines  of  James  Montgomery,!  in  his  "  World  before  the 
Flood,"  and  substituting  in  them  the  name  of  David  for  that 
of  Jubal,  we  may  thus  describe  the  scene : 

"  David  with  eager  hope  beheld  the  chase 
Of  strange  emotions  hurrying  o'er  his  face, 
And  waked  his  noblest  numbers  to  control 
The  tide  and  tempest  of  the  maniac's  soul. 
Through  many  a  maze  of  melody  he  flew ; 
They  rose  like  incense,  they  distilled  like  dew, 
Passed  through  the  sufferer's  breast  delicious  balm, 
And  soothed  remembrance  till  remorse  grew  cairn." 

But  it  was  only  a  temporary  relief  after  all.  A  more  won- 
drous triumph  Was  yet  destined  to  be  wrought  by  that  same 
harp  when,  tuned  to  words  by  God's  own  inspiration  given, 
it  should  not  only  soothe  the  soul  of  the  singer  himself,  but 
also  give  forth  notes  that  would  reach  through  all  time,  and 

*  Psa.  xxxi.,  19-21. 

t  For  this  application  of  Montgomery's  lines,  I  am  indebted  to  Blaikie's 
"  David,  King  of  Israel,"  p.  37. 


34  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

lift  the  devout  spirit  above  all  evil  influences.  How  often 
have  these  holy  lyrics  done  for  men  a  grander  work  than 
that  wrought  by  this  music  on  the  mind  of  Saul !  Luther 
felt  their  influence  when,  inspirited  by  their  strains,  he  went 
forth  to  his  great  reforming  work ;  and  the  souls  of  many 
anxious  ones  have  been  quieted  by  their  trustful  utterances 
when  their  hearts,  like  Eli's,  "trembled  for  the  ark  of  God." 
The  lone  widow  has  dried  her  tears  as  she  has  listened  to 
the  music  of  the  words,  "  God  lives !  blessed  be  my  rock, 
and  let  the  God  of  my  salvation  be  exalted."  The  helpless 
orphan  has  been  directed  to  a  friend  above,  as  this  soft  strain 
has  fallen  on  his  ear,  "When  my  father  and  my  mother  for- 
sake me,  then  the  Lord  will  take  me  up."  The  desponding 
saint  has  seen  the  heavens  grow  bright  above  him  while  he 
heard  these  trustful  notes :  "Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my 
soul?  and  why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me?  hope  thou 
in  God  :  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him,  who  is  the  health  of  my 
countenance,  and  my  God."  The  dying  one  has  felt  as  if  the 
glory-gate  was  already  opening  to  him  while  the  melody  of 
these  words  has  distilled  like  the  dew  over  his  spirit :  "As 
for  me,  I  will  behold  thy  face  in  righteousness :  I  shall  be 
satisfied,  when  I  awake,  with  thy  likeness."  Yea,  mightiest 
achievement  of  all,  it  was  a  strain  from  David's  harp  which 
upheld  the  Redeemer's  soul  when  from  the  depths  of  his  in- 
finite agony  he  cried,  "  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  for- 
saken me  ?"  Truly,  as  well  as  eloquently,  has  one  said,  "The 
temporary  calm  which  the  soft  notes  of  David's  harp  spread 
over  the  stormy  soul  of  Saul  was  but  a  superficial  emotion 
compared  with  the  holy  rest  on  the  bosom  of  their  God  to 
which  the  Psalms  have  guided  many  an  anxious  and  weary 
sinner.  The  one  was  like  the  passing  emotion  of  an  orato- 
rio, the  other  is  the  deep  peace  of  the  Gospel."* 

*  Blaikie's  "  David,  King  of  Israel,"  p.  38. 


MEDICINAL  Music.  35 

Pausing  here  for  the  present,  let  us  bring  together  a  few 
inferences  from  our  subject  which  may  be  profitable  for  doc- 
trine and  practice.  We  can  not  help  observing,  then,  in  the 
first  place,  how  God  works  out  his  purposes  through  the  agen- 
cy of  men  who  are  acting  according  to  their  own  free  choice. 
Evermore,  as  we  read  history,  or  look  back  upon  our  own  ex- 
perience, we  see  distinctly  marked  these  two  things,  the  plan 
of  God,  and  the  liberty  of  man.  We  can  not  get  rid  of  either, 
nor  can  we  see  how  they  can  be  perfectly  harmonized ;  yet 
there  they  are,  constantly  running  parallel  to  each  other, 
and  forming,  so  to  say,  the  two  lines  of  rail  on  which  the 
chariot  of  human  progress  rolls  along.  It  was  the  design 
of  the  Lord  that  David  should  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his 
people,  and  it  was  needful  thereto  that  the  young  shepherd 
should,  in  some  way  or  other,  be  introduced  to  the  court 
of  Saul,  while,  at  the  same  time,  it  was  essential  that  the 
circumstances  of  his  introduction  should  excite  no  suspi- 
cion as  to  his  future  career.  Now,  see  how  all  this  was 
brought  about.  David,  in  his  devotion  to  his  harp,  had  no 
thought  of  thereby  rising  to  the  royal  favor ;  the  servant  who 
mentioned  his  name  to  Saul  had  no  idea  of  the  fact  that  he 
was  already  anointed  to  be  Saul's  successor ;  yet  each,  in  his 
own  way,  and  by  working  out  the  choice  of  his  own  free-will, 
was  helping  on  the  fulfillment  of  the  purpose  of  God.  So  it 
is  still,  the  only  difference  being  that,  in  ordinary  history,  we 
are  not  always  thus  permitted  to  see  the  different  agencies  at 
work.  Usually  we  are  like  men  looking  on  the  watch-dial 
and  reading  off  results,  according  as  the  fingers  indicate. 
Here,  however,  we  are  privileged  to  look  within,  and  to  see 
how  the  various  instrumentalities  work  together  to  bring 
about  the  outward  and  visible  effect.  But  we  must  not  for- 
get that  in  every  thing,  as  really  as  in  this  history,  God's 
providence  is  working  itself  out  through  the  free  agency  of 
men,  though  at  the  moment  they  may  not  be  thinking  of 


36  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

him  at  all.  Oh,  matchless  mystery,  whereby  these  two  ap- 
parent opposites  are  held  in  harmony !  Oh,  most  consoling 
truth,  whereby  in  all  circumstances  we  are  reminded  that 
"  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God, 
to  them  who  are  the  called  according  to  his  purpose." 

But  passing  from  this  mysterious  theme,  let  me  hold  up 
before  the  young  people  of  my  audience  the  example  of  Da- 
vid here,  that  they  may  be  stimulated  to  improve  their  leisure 
time  in  acquiring  some  useful  information,  or  in  learning  some 
useful  art.  While  David  followed  the  sheep,  he  had  ample 
time  at  his  disposal,  but  instead  of  letting  it  go  by  in  idle- 
ness, or  frittering  it  away  in  spasmodic  study,  now  of  this 
thing  and  now  of  that,  he  specially  concentrated  his  atten- 
tion on  the  art  of  music,  until  he  acquired  rare  skill  and  ex- 
cellence in  playing  upon  the  harp ;  and  it  was  through  this 
self-taught  attainment  that  he  was  first  called  forth  into  pub- 
lic life.  Now  it  is  of  immense  consequence,  that  the  young 
people  of  these  days  should  clearly  see  the  necessity  under 
which  they  are  laid,  of  acting  in  a  similar  manner.  I  speak, 
observe,  of  leisure  time,  and  any  thing  which  I  may  say  is 
not  to  be  misconstrued  into  an  admonition  to  neglect  busi- 
ness for  other  pursuits.  By  no  means.  David  did  not  neg- 
lect his  sheep  for  his  harp.  He  was  as  ready  to  encounter 
the  lion  and  the  bear  as  he  was  to  play  upon  his  lyre ;  but 
with  his  work  he  combined  the  cultivation  of  music  in  his 
spare  moments.  And  I  earnestly  exhort  you,  my  youthful 
hearers,  to  have  some  one  study  or  pursuit  on  hand  to  which 
you  devote  your  leisure  hours. 

I  advocate  this  on  the  ground  of  economy.  As  things  are 
with  most  of  you,  your  spare  moments  go  you  can  not  tell 
how.  To-day  they  are  given  to  one  thing,  to-morrow  to  an- 
other ;  so  that  with  this  continual  social  and  mental  dissipa- 
tion, it  would  be  difficult  for  most  to  tell,  either  what  they 
have  done  or  what  they  have  learned,  out  of  business  hours 


MEDICINAL  Music.  37 

last  week.  And  yet  they  have  been  occupied  all  the  while. 
"  As  they  were  busy  here  and  there,"  at  one  thing  or  anoth- 
er, the  week  "  was  gone,"  and  they  have  nothing  to  show  for 
it ;  whereas,  if  they  had  systematically  devoted  their  hours 
of  leisure  to  the  prosecution  of  some  plan  in  some  depart- 
ment of  self- culture,  they  would  have  acquired  something 
which  would  remain  with  them,  and  be  of  signal  service  to 
them  in  after-life.  Bind  together  your  spare  hours,  therefore, 
by  the  cord  of  some  definite  purpose,  and  you  know  not  how 
much  you  may  accomplish.  Gather  up  the  fragments  of 
your  time,  that  nothing  may  be  lost. 

I  advocate  this  on  the  ground  of  recreation.  Some,  indeed, 
may  be  apt  to  say  that  they  have  no  strength  for  the  pros- 
ecution, after  the  labors  of  the  day,  of  such  a  work  as  that 
to  which  I  would  incite  them.  But  not  to  say  that  there  is 
nothing  more  wearisome  than  idleness,  unless  it  be  the  dis- 
sipation of  pleasure,  I  would  remind  you  that  the  truest  re- 
laxation is  a  change  of  employment. 

"  A  want  of  occupation  is  not  rest, 
A  mind  quite  vacant  is  a  mind  distressed." 

No  doubt  there  must  be  some  physical  recreation,  but  for 
rest  to  the  mind  we  need  something  else  than  exercise  for 
the  body ;  we  need  occupation  for  the  mind  itself  in  some 
other  sphere  of  thought,  and  this  can  be  best  obtained  by  the 
systematic  prosecution  of  some  favorite  pursuit.  Try  it, 
young  men,  and  you  will  acquire  from  it  buoyant  elasticity 
of  mind,  while  at  the  same  time  you  will  obtain  substantial 
information,  or  proficiency  in  some  elegant  art. 

I  advocate  this  on  the  ground  of  self-protection.  Idleness 
is  the  mother  of  vice,  and  it  is  a  sadly  suggestive  fact  that  a 
man  is  commonly  either  made  or  marred  for  life  by  the  use 
which  he  makes  of  his  leisure  time.  It  is  not  at  business,  or 
at  work,  that  temptation  first  assails  a  youth  ;  it  is  when  he 


38  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

is  at  leisure ;  and  commonly  when  he  falls  into  iniquity  in 
business  it  is  in  order  that  he  may  procure  the  means  of 
indulging  in  the  vicious  habits  which  he  has  learned  dur- 
ing his  leisure.  If,  therefore,  you  would  keep  temptation 
ajt  a  distance  from  you,  and  deprive  the  haunts  of  iniquity 
of  the  power  to  attract  you,  seek  to  give  yourself  to  some 
favorite  study  in  your  spare  hours,  with  all  the  ardor  and 
energy  of  your  nature ;  and  when  one  comes  to  entice  you 
into  sin,  you  will  be  able  to  say,  "  I  am  doing  something  bet- 
ter, and  I  can  not  go  with  you." 

I  advocate  this  use  of  your  spare  time,  lastly,  as  a  prepar- 
ative for  future  eminence.  It  is  interesting  to  observe 
how  many  have  passed  through  this  very  gate  to  usefulness 
and  honor.  Hugh  Miller  raised  himself  from  the  position 
of  a  working  mason  by  his  devotion,  first  to  geology,  and  af- 
terward to  literature,  in  his  leisure  moments ;  and  Michael 
Faraday,  while  a  book  -  binder's  apprentice,  was  reading 
chemical  books,  and  making  electrical  machines  in  his 
evening  hours — thereby  laying  the  foundations  of  that  great 
work  which  as  a  man  of  science  he  was  afterward  to  accom- 
plish. You  can  not  all  become  Millers  or  Faradays  indeed, 
but,  by  following  their  example,  you  will  attain  to  something 
nobler  than  you  otherwise  could  reach,  and  make  the  best 
of  yourselves  for  God  and  for  the  world. 

It  may  seem  to  many  as  if  in  speaking  thus  I  were  draw- 
ing a  merely  secular  lesson  from  a  sacred  theme ;  but  to  the 
Christian  there  is  nothing  secular.  He  wants  to  make  the 
most  of  himself  and  of  his  opportunities  for  Christ,  and  he 
must  learn  this  lesson,  else  when  occasions  come  he  will  not 
be  able  to  avail  himself  of  them.  The  men  who  have  been 
unsuccessful  on  the  earth  have  failed,  not  for  want  of  op- 
portunities of  succeeding,  but  because  they  were  never  ready 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunities  which  did  come  to 
them ;  and  this  unreadiness  may  be  traced  to  the  frittering 


MEDICINAL  Music.  39 

away  by  them  of  their  leisure  hours  in  strenuous  idleness,  or 
in  frivolous  amusement,  or  in  vicious  indulgence. 

Again,  as  we  see  David  setting  out  from  Bethlehem,  we 
are  reminded  of  the  feelings,  the  difficulties,  and  the  dangers 
which  are  usually  attendant  upon  the  first  leaving  of  the  fa- 
ther's house.  I  have  not  attempted  to  describe  to  you  what 
David's  emotions  were  as  he  parted  from  father  and  mother, 
and  looked  forward  to  the  delicate  position  which  he  was 
to  occupy;  but  I  can  not  help  employing  this  incident  to 
remind  the  young  people  who  may  have  come  to  this  great 
commercial  centre  from  a  distant  home,  that  there  are  parents 
looking  after  them  with  longing  solicitude,  arid  earnestly  be- 
seeching God  to  bless  them.  It  may  be,  indeed,  that  in  some 
instances  the  parents  from  whom  they  have  parted  are  now 
in  glory ;  yet  I  am  sure  that  they  all  look  back  to  their  early 
abode  with  the  tenderest  feelings,  and  regard  it  as  surround- 
ed with  the  holiest  associations.  Are  you  living  now,  my 
young  friends,  as  those  parents  would  have  you?  Would 
you  care  to  have  your  mother  perfectly  acquainted  with  all 
you  did  last  week  ?  How  does  your  present  life  look  when 
you  think  of  your  father  now  in  heaven  ? 

It  may  be,  too,  that  there  are  some  here  preparing  to  leave 
their  father's  house,  and  go  like  Abraham,  hardly  knowing 
whither,  save  only  that  duty  calls  them.  Let  me  entreat  them 
to  go  in  Abraham's  faith,  and  above  all  to  secure  that,  as  in 
the  case  of  David  here,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  rest  upon 
them,  making  them  prudent  in  matters.  With  this  posses- 
sion, no  matter  where  we  go,  all  will  be  well.  Without  it,  no 
matter  what  worldly  prosperity  may  attend  us,  we  shall  be 
poor  indeed.  They  are  never  far  from  home  who  take  God 
with  them,  for  he  is  himself  their  dwelling-place. 

Finally,  we  may  learn,  from  Saul's  experience,  how  tran- 
sient is  the  relief  which  mere  earthly  influences  can  give  in 
the  case  of  a  moral  and  spiritual  disease.  David's  music 


40  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

went  so  far,' but  it  did  not  touch  the  root  of  the  evil.  Only 
when  Saul  returned  to  God  would  God  return  to  him.  He 
needed  a  new  heart ;  and  no  earthly  music,  even  from  Da- 
vid's harp,  could  give  him  that.  So  let  us  be  admonished  by 
his  folly.  Vain  are  all  merely  worldly  prescriptions  for  the 
sin-burdened  and  depraved  soul.  Well-meaning  friends  may 
say  to  the  anxious  sinner,  "Go  to  the  opera,  come  to  the 
theatre,  visit  this  and  the  other  place  of  amusement ;"  but  it 
is  all  to  no  purpose.  These  may  give  temporary  relief,  but 
in  the  silence  of  the  solitary  chamber  the  agony  of  heart 
comes  back  more  violently  than  before.  There  is  but  one 
who  can  hush  its  troubled  perturbations  into  peace,  and  that 
is  He  "who  stilled  the  rolling  lake  of  Galilee."  To  Him, 
therefore,  O  anxious  one,  betake  thyself,  and  He  will  give 
thee  a  new  heart,  which  will  be  itself  like  a  well-tuned  harp, 
whose  strings  will  vibrate  evermore  with  holy  harmony  in 
thy  secret  ear  !  He  will  make  thee  independent  of  all  out- 
ward influences,  by  giving  thee  quietude  and  holiness  within. 
To  Him,  then,  make  thy  way;  for  has  He  not  said,  "  Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest  ?" 


III. 

THE  CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH. 
i  SAMUEL  xvii. 

AFTER  David's  music  had  produced  such  a  beneficial 
effect  upon  Saul,  the  young  shepherd  seems  to  have 
returned  to  his  former  charge  upon  the  slopes  of  Bethlehem. 
This  may  appear  strange,  especially  after  the  statement  that 
"the  king  loved^him  greatly,"  and  made  him  his  armor-bearer. 
But  if  we  take  a  correct  view  of  the  character  of  Saul,  and 
consider  how  at  a  later  date  he  vibrated  between  the  two 
extremes  of  inordinate  admiration  and  spiteful  persecution 
of  David,  our  surprise  will  cease,  and  we  shall  have  in  Da- 
vid's departure  from  Gibeah  at  this  time  only  another  illus- 
tration of  that  fickleness  and  instability  for  which  Saul  was 
so  remarkable.  With  his  restoration  to  health,  his  love  for 
David  cooled  ;  or,  perhaps,  he  did  not  care  to  be  constantly 
reminded  of  his  malady  by  the  continuous  presence  of  the 
young  minstrel,  and  so  he  sent  him  to  his  home  again. 

How  long  David  remained  at  Bethlehem  before  the  occur- 
rence of  the  events  narrated  in  this  seventeenth  chapter,  we 
are  not  informed,  and  it  is  vain  to  make  any  attempt  at  con- 
jecture. All  we  know  is  that  he  was  brought  again  into 
prominence  in  connection  with  the  renewal  of  hostilities  be- 
tween Saul  and  the  Philistines :  and  as  this  is  the  first  occa- 
sion on  which  we  come  into  contact  with  that  ancient  and 
warlike  people,  we  may  pause  a  few  moments  to  gather  into 
one  brief  paragraph  the  main  features  of  their  history  and 
character. 


42  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL.  • 

Coming,  as  the  ablest  critics  have  generally  agreed,  from 
Egypt,*  they  occupied  the  strip  of  country  lying  along  the 
south-east  coast  of  Palestine,  and  comprising  a  confederacy 
of  five  united  yet  independent  towns  —  Gaza,  Ashdod,  Ash- 
kelon,  Gath,  and  Ekron.  When  the  children  of  Israel  took 
possession  of  the  land,  this  territory  was  given,  by  lot,  to  the 
tribe  of  Judah ;  but  it  was  not  until  the  days  of  David  that 
they  could  be  said  actually  to  possess  it ;  and,  indeed,  all 
through  the  history  of  the  Jews,  there  was  danger  of  collision 
between  them  and  this  fierce  nation.  They  had  early  attain- 
ed to  great  skill  in  the  arts  alike  of  war  and  peace ;  they 
probably  possessed  a  navy,  for  they  had  harbors  at  Gath  and 
Ashkelon ;  they  were  eminent  as  smiths  and  armorers  ;  and 
their  images  of  golden  mice  and  emerods,  referred  to  in  one 
of  the  early  chapters  of  the  first  book  of  Samuel,  imply  an  ac- 
quaintance with  the  work  of  the  founder  and  the  goldsmith. 
We  are  told,  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  book  of  Judges,  that 
Judah  took  Gaza,  Ashkelon,  and  Ekron,  with  their  coasts ; 
but  the  resources  of  the  Philistines  were  such  that  they 
speedily  regained  their  territory  and  asserted  their  suprem- 
acy. In  the  days  of  Shamgar,  Jephthah,  and  Samson,  they 
held  the  Jews  in  hard  and  cruel  bondage ;  and  it  was  only 
under  Samuel  that  the  chosen  people  had  been  able  in 
any  serious  degree  to  break  their  power.  Even  after  that, 
however,  they  re -asserted  their  dominion,  and  were  able 
successfully  to  dispute  with  Saul  the  ownership  of  the  soil, 
and  so  to  cripple  the  tribes,  that  there  was  no  proper  imple- 
ment of  war  to  be  found  among  them,  save  only  in  the  hands 
of  Saul  and  Jonathan.  The  mode  of  warfare  pursued  by 
them  was  of  the  guerrilla  description.  They  made  a  series 
of  sudden  raids  on  unprotected  places  for  purposes  of  plun- 

*  See  the  article  PHILISTINES,  in  Smith's  "  Dictionary  of  the  Bible ;" 
and  also  that  on  the  same  subject  in  Fairbairn's  "  Imperial  Bible  Dic- 
tionary." 


TH^CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH.  43 

der.  They  seized  some  commanding  position,  which  they 
strongly  fortified,  and  from  that  they  sent  out  bands  of  ma- 
rauders to  spoil  the  surrounding  district.  This  system  of 
incursions  kept  the  Israelites  in  constant  anxiety ;  and  when 
the  alarm  of  the  approach  of  their  oppressors  was  given,  the 
people  betook  themselves  to  hiding-places,  or  fled  across  the 
Jordan.  It  was  in  the  storming  of  such  a  fortress  as  I  have 
described  that  Jonathan  won  his  first  laurels  as  a  warrior, 
and  though,  as  a  result  of  his  success  at  that  time,  the  nation 
had  enjoyed  a  brief  season  of  repose,  the  chapter  before  us 
represents  the  land  as  ringing  once  again  with  the  alarm  of 
war. 

The  Philistines,  hearing  perhaps  of  Samuel's  separation 
from  Saul,  and  encouraged  by  that  circumstance,  and  by  their 
possession  of  a  famous  champion,  had  taken  the  field  again. 
They  encamped  at  Shochoh,  which  belonged  to  Judah,  be- 
tween Shochoh  and  Azekah,  in  Ephes  -  dammim ;  and  the 
children  of  Israel,  in  response  to  the  summons  of  Saul,  made 
their  rallying-point  in  the  Valley  of  Elah — literally,  the  valley 
of  the  terebinth-tree,  the  name  having  been  probably  given  to 
it  because  of  the  plentifulness  of  such  trees  in  the  vicinity. 
"The  valley,"  says  Dr.  Porter, "  is  now  called  Wady-es-sumpt, 
because  it  abounds  in  acacias.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  and 
tends  to  throw  light  on  the  origin  of  the  ancient  name,  that 
one  of  the  largest  terebinths  in  Palestine  may  be  seen  in  a 
branch  of  the  valley,  only  a  few  miles  distant  from  the  scene 
of  the  battle."  The  valley  itself,  according  to  the  same  au- 
thority, "  runs  in  a  north-westerly  direction,  from  the  mount- 
ains of  Judah,  through  the  low  hills  at  their  base,  into  the 
plain  of  Philistia,  which  it  enters  a  little  north  of  the  site  of 
Gaza.  The  ruins  of  Shochoh,  now  called  Sh'uweikeh,  cover 
a  natural  terrace  on  the  left  bank  of  the  valley ;  and  Azekah 
appears  to  have  stood  on  a  conical  hill  some  two  miles  dis- 
tant on  the  same  bank.  Between  them,  on  the  slope  of  the 


44  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ridge,  the  Philistines  encamped ;  and  opposite  them,  on  the 
right  bank,  were  the  Israelites.  The  distance  between  the 

O  ' 

armies  was  about  a  mile ;  and  the  vale  beneath  is  flat  and 
rich.  Through  the  centre  winds  a  torrent-bed,  the  banks 
fringed  with  shrubbery  of  acacia,  and  the  bottom  covered 
with  '  smooth  stones.'  The  ridges  on  each  side  rise  to  the 
height  of  about  five  hundred  feet,  and  have  a  uniform  slope, 
so  that  the  armies  ranged  along  them  could  see  the  combat 
in  the  valley."*  The  place  was  about  twelve  miles  south- 
west of  Jerusalem,  and  therefore  probably  not  more  than 
seven  or  eight  miles  from  Bethlehem. 

In  the  army  with  Saul  were  the  three  eldest  sons  of  Jesse: 
Eliab,  Aminadab,  and  Shammah.  It  was  the  law  of  Israel, 
that  in  times  of  war  each  able-bodied  man  between  certain 
ages  was  to  carry  arms ;  and  so,  whenever  a  summons  was 
given,  suspense  would  reign  in  every  home.  On  the  present 
occasion,  however,  as  the  war  was  defensive,  and  as  the  lives 
and  property  of  the  people  depended  on  the  character  of  the 
resistance  that  was  offered  to  their  enemies,  there  would 
probably  be  no  great  difficulty  in  securing  a  large  army ;  yet 
the  parents  of  such  as  went  to  the  front  would  naturally  feel 
much  solicitude  concerning  their  safety.  We  do  not  wonder, 
therefore,  that  Jesse  was  anxious  to  know  how  things  went 
with  his  sons.  Indeed,  considering  his  comparative  proxim- 
ity to  the  two  encampments,  it  was  the  most  natural  thing  in 
the  world  that  he  and  his  wife  should  desire  to  send  some 
'  home  comforts  to  their  sons.  Accordingly  he  took  David 
from  his  sheep,  and  dispatched  him  to  Elah,  with  an  ephah 
of  parched  corn,  and  ten  loaves  for  his  brothers,  and  ten 
cheeses  for  the  officer  of  their  company.  He  instructed  him 
also  "  to  take  their  pledge,"  that  is,  as  I  suppose,  to  bring 
with  him  in  his  hand  some  token  or  pledge  of  their  safety  in 

*  Kitto's  "  Cyclopaedia,"  by  Alexander,  article  ELAH. 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH.  45 

the  camp.  So,  leaving  his  sheep  with  a  keeper,  David  has- 
tened to  Elah,  and  arrived  just  as  the  battle-cry  was  being 
raised  in  both  armies,  and  the  ranks  of  each  stood  in  formal 
array  against  the  other.  Seeing  this  state  of  matters,  the 
eager  youth  left  his  baggage  at  the  wagon-line  by  which  the 
camp  was  surrounded,  and  ran  to  look  for  his  brothers. 
Scarcely  had  he  found  them,  and  asked  them  of  their  wel- 
fare, when  there  stalked  forth  from  the  front  of  the  Philistian 
line  the  tall  champion  of  Gath  named  Goliath.  This  man, 
probably  a  descendant  of  the  Anakim,  is  described  as  six  cu- 
bits and  a  span  in  height.  The  cubit  was  originally  the  length 
from  the  elbow  to  the  point  of  the  middle  finger,  and  is  com- 
monly taken  as  about  eighteen  or  nineteen  inches.  Accepting 
the  smaller  of  these  as  correct,  the  stature  of  Goliath  would 
be  about  nine  feet  nine  inches.  Josephus  and  the  Septuagint, 
however,  read  four  cubits  and  a  span,  and  this  would  reduce 
his  height  to  six  feet  nine  inches.*  This  enormous  height 
apparently  did  not  interfere  with  the  development  of  his 
strength,  for  the  weight  of  his  armor  was  such  as  could 
have  been  borne  only  by  one  of  Herculean  might.  Taking 
the  shekel  at  half  an  ounce  avoirdupois,  his  coat  of  mail 
must  have  been  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  pounds  in  weight, 
and  the  head  of  his  spear  must  have  been  eighteen  pounds 
twelve  ounces. 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  when  he  came  forth  into 
the  space  between  the  armies  and  defied  Israel,  consternation 
and  dismay  took  hold  upon  the  soldiers  of  Saul.  Nor  was 
this  the  first  occasion,  on  which  he  had  made  his  appearance 
thus.  For  forty  days  he  had  come  repeating  his  boastful  and 

*  Keil  on  i  Samuel,  p.  173,  says:  "His  height  was  six  cubits  and 
a  span, ;'.  e.,  according  to  a  calculation  made  by  Thenius,  about  nine  feet 
two  inches  Parisian  measure — a  great  height,  no  doubt,  though  not  alto- 
gether unparalleled,  and  hardly  greater  than  that  of  the  great-uncle  of 
Iren,  who  came  to  Berlin  in  the  year  1857." 


46  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

insulting  words  :  "  Why  are  ye  come  out  to  set  your  battle  in 
array  ?  Am  not  I  a  Philistine,  and  ye  servants  to  Saul  ?  choose 
you  a  man  for  you,  and  let  him  come  down  to  me.  If  he  be 
able  to  fight  with  me,  and  to  kill  me,  then  will  we  be  your  serv- 
ants :  but  if  I  prevail  against  him,  and  kill  him,  then  shall  ye 
be  our  servants,  and  serve  us.  I  defy  the  armies  of  Israel  this 
day ;  give  me  a  man,  that  we  may  fight  together."  To  this 
challenge  there  was  not  spirit  enough  among  the  Israelites  to 
make  response.  Saul  was  probably  restrained  from  person- 
ally accepting  it  by  motives  of  dignity ;  but  we  can  not  read 
the  record  without  contrasting  his  silence,  and  the  utter  hope- 
lessness of  his  army,  on  this  occasion,  with  the  enthusiasm 
which  he  displayed,  and  the  bravery  which  they  manifested 
that  day  at  Jabesh-gilead,  when  they  drove  their  enemies  be- 
fore them  like  chaff  before  the  wind.  We  read,  indeed,  of 
the  royal  promise  to  enrich  the  man  who  should  slay  his  en- 
emy, and  to  give  him  his  daughter  in  marriage,  and  to  make 
his  father's  house  free  in  Israel ;  but  there  is  no  word  of  any 
calling  upon  God,  or  any  application  to  the  high-priest,  that 
with  his  Urim  and  Thummim  he  might  give  direction  from 
on  high.  Suggestive  silence  this !  Saul  was  still  self-reliant 
and  defiant ;  and  so  this  was  to  be  the  occasion  of  bringing 
his  successor  forth  before  the  people's  eyes. 

David,  young  as  he  was,  was  astonished  at  what  he  saw 
and  heard.  Apparently  he  had  no  fear  of  the  giant,  but  he 
did  wonder  at  the  craven-heartedness  of  his  fellow-country- 
men. He  asked  again  and  again  into  the  particulars,  and 
was  so  specially  minute  in  his  inquiries  about  what  Saul  had 
promised  to  the  victor,  that  his  eldest  brother  began  to  sur- 
mise that  he  was  himself  purposing  to  accept  the  challenge, 
and  said  to  him,  in  a  sneering,  cynical,  elder-brotherly  fash- 
io,n,  "Why  earnest  thou  down  hither?  and  with  whom  hast 
thou  left  those  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness?  I  know  thy 
pride,  and  the  naughtiness  of  thine  heart ;  for  thou  art  come 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH.  47 

clown  that  thou  mightest  see  the  battle."  But  David  did  not 
allow  himself  to  be  provoked ;  he  ruled  his  spirit  for  the 
time — a  harder  task  and  a  yet  nobler  achievement  even  than 
the  conquest  of  the  giant,  and  he  simply  said,  "What  have  I 
now  done  ?  Is  there  not  a  cause  ?"  At  length,  however,  as 
he  talked  with  one  and  another,  the  report  spread  out  that 
there  was  one  who  would  fight  the  giant,  and  finally  it  was 
told  to  Saul,  who  sent  for  him,  and  sought  to  dissuade  him 
from  his  purpose,  saying,  "  Thou  art  not  able  to  go  against 
this  Philistine  to  fight  with  him ;  for  thou  art  but  a  youth, 
and  he  a  man  of  war  from  his  youth."  But  the  young  shep- 
herd was  not  to  be  daunted  thus.  Rehearsing  his  deeds  of 
valor  in  the  defense  of  his  flock,  and  tracing  his  successes  on 
these  occasions  to  the  help  of  God,  he  said,  "  The  Lord  that 
delivered  me  out  of  the  paw  of  the  lion,  and  out  of  the  paw 
of  the  bear,  he  will  deliver  me  out  of  the  hand  of  this  Philis- 
tine." This  was  precisely  the  spirit  that  was  needed  for  the 
stern  encounter ;  and  Saul,  recognizing  in  it  that  in  which  he 
was  himself  so  deficient,  at  once  made  answer,  "Go,  and  the 
Lord  be  with  thee !"  At  first  the  king  proposed  that  he 
should  array  himself  in  the  royal  armor ;  but  David  was  not 
at  home  in  that,  and,  with  a  true  stroke  of  military  genius,  he 
determined  to  go  forth  with  the  weapons  with  which  he  was 
most  familiar.  He  took  his  shepherd's  staff  in  his  left  hand, 
and  his  sling  in  his  right,  and  having  his  sachel  suspended 
from  his  neck,  he  went  out  in  front  of  the  lines.  As  he  cross- 
ed the  dry  bed  of  the  brook,  he  selected  some  smooth  stones, 
one  of  which  he  fixed  in  his  sling,  and  the  others  he  dropped 
into  his  bag.  It  has  been  commonly  supposed  that,  in  lay- 
ing aside  Saul's  armor  and  preferring  his  own  sling,  David 
was  giving  up  every  advantage,  and  that  the  chances  of  his 
success  were  materially  lessened  by  the  fact  that  he  was  thus, 
comparatively  speaking,  defenseless.  But  that  is  a  mistake. 
The  genius  of  David  was  made  manifest  in  the  choice  of  his 


48  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

weapons,  and  so  soon  as  he  had  determined  to  use  the  sling 
the  issue  was  not  doubtful.  The  giant  was  open  to  attack 
only  on  the  forehead  ;  but  then  he  was  cased  in  such  heavy 
armor  that  he  could  not  move  with  swiftness,  and  so  he  could 
prove  a  formidable  foe  only  when  he  was  fighting  at  close 
quarters.  David,  on  the  other  hand,  was  free,  and  could  run 
with  swiftness  and  agility;  while  using  the  sling  he  could  be- 
gin the  attack  from  a  distance,  and  out  of  the  range  of  his  ad- 
versary's weapons.  So  far,  therefore,  as  weapons  were  con- 
cerned, the  advantage  was  clearly  on  David's  side,  provided 
only  he  could  preserve  his  precision  of  aim  and  steadiness 
of  hand.  He  was  like  one  armed  with  a  rifle,  while  his  ene- 
my had  only  a  spear  and  a  sword  ;  and  if  only  he  could  take 
sure  aim,  the  result  was  absolutely  certain.  Goliath,  howev- 
er, despised  his  simple  weapons,  and  in  spiteful  indignation 
cursed  him  by  his  gods,  saying  also,  "  Come  to  me,  and  I  will 
give  thy  flesh  unto  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  to  the  beasts  of 
the  field."  Nothing  daunted,  David  made  reply :  "  Thou 
comest  to  me  with  a  sword,  and  with  a  spear,  and  with  a 
shield :  but  I  come  to  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  the  God  of  the  armies  of  Israel,  whom  thou  hast  de- 
fied. This  day  will  the  Lord  deliver  thee  into  mine  hand ; 
and  I  will  smite  thee,  and  take  thine  head  from  thee ;  and  I 
will  give  the  carcasses  of  the  host  of  the  Philistines  this  day 
unto  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  to  the  wild  beasts  of  the  earth  • 
that  all  the  earth  may  know  that  there  is  a  God  in  Israel. 
And  all  this  assembly  shall  know  that  the  Lord  saveth  not 
with  sword  and  spear  :  for  the  battle  is  the  Lord's,  and  he 
will  give  you  into  our  hands."  As  modern  warfare  is  con- 
ducted, such  a  colloquy  as  this  between  two  combatants 
seems  to  be  ridiculous ;  but  every  one  who  is  familiar  with 
Homer's  "Iliad,"  either  in  the  original,  or  in  one  of  its  spir- 
ited translations,  will  see  a  wonderful  similarity  between  the 
speeches  of  Goliath  and  David,  and  those  which  the  father 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH.  49 

of  poetry  puts  into  the  mouths  of  his  heroes  in  similar  cir- 
cumstances.* 

But  now  the  time  for  parley  is  at  an  end,  Goliath  is  ad- 
vancing to  meet  his  antagonist,  and  David,  seeing  that  his 
only  opportunity  is  to  strike  him  while  yet  he  is  at  a  dis- 
tance, makes  haste  and  runs..  As  he  runs,  he  re-adjusts  the 
stone  in  his  sling  •  and  taking  unerring  aim,  he  sends  it 
whizzing  to  its  mark  in  the  forehead  of  the  giant,  who  forth- 
with fell  with  his  face  to  the  ground.  Then  rushing  forward, 
he  took  the  sword  of  his  adversary  and  cut  off  his  head, 
which  he  carried  with  him  as  a  trophy  of  victory.  When 
the  Philistines  saw  that  their  champion  was  dead,  they  turn- 
ed and  fled ;  but  the  Israelites  pursued  them  hotly  even  to 
the  gates  of  Ekron,  and  the  victory  was  complete. 

Two  things  mentioned  as  consequent  upon  this  encounter 
are  apt  to  perplex  the  general  reader.  The  first  is,  that 
David  took  the  Philistine's  head  to  Jerusalem,  and  put  his 
armor  in  his  tent.  Now  it  is  said  by  some  that  Jerusalem 
was  not  yet  in  the  hands  of  the  Israelites,  but  only  came 
into  their  possession  years  afterward,  when  David  conquered 
the  Jebusites.  But,  as  obviating  this  difficulty,  we  may  re- 
mind you  that  it  was  not  Jerusalem  that  David  took  from 
the  Jebusites,  but  rather  the  stronghold  of  Zion,  which  was 
only  a  part  of  Jerusalem ;  and  it  is  quite  likely  that  before 
it  was  taken  by  David  the  other  portions  of  the  city  were 
occupied  by  the  Jews.  Or  perhaps  the  reference  may  sim- 
ply be  to  Nob,  the  site  of  the  Tabernacle,  which,  though  in 
the  territory  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  was  yet  so  near  to  Je- 
rusalem as  to  be  within  sight  of  it.  Then,  as  to  the  putting 
of  the  armor  in  his  tent  by  David,  we  are  not  to  suppose 
that  this  was  meant  by  him  as  its  ultimate  destination,  but 

*  See,  in  particular,  the  speeches  of  Glaucus  and  Diomede,  in  the  sixth 
book  of  the  "  Iliad :"  "  Come  hither,"  says  Glaucus,  "  that  you  may 
quickly  reach  the  goal  of  death." 

3 


50  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

we  may  well  enough  understand  that  it  was  put  there  for 
safety  until  he  should  have  an  opportunity  of  laying  it  up 
before  the  Lord  in  the  Tabernacle ;  while,  if  any  should  be 
surprised  that  he  should  have  a  tent  in  the  camp,  considering 
that  he  had  only  come  casually  from  Bethlehem,  we  may  re- 
move their  astonishment  by  suggesting  that,  after  so  signal 
a  victory  as  that  which  he  had  been  honored  to  achieve,  ev- 
ery thing  would  be  done  to  show  him  gratitude,  and  we  may 
be  sure  that  a  tent  would  be  put  at  his  disposal.  The  sec- 
ond and  more  formidable  difficulty  is  in  connection  with 
Saul's  inquiry  after  David.  We  read  that  he  said  to  Abner, 
"  Whose  son  is  this  youth  ?  And  Abner  said,  As  thy  soul 
liveth,  O  king,  I  can  not  tell.  And  the  king  said,  Inquire 
thou  whose  son  the  stripling  is.  And  as  David  returned 
from  the  slaughter  of  the  Philistine,  Abner  took  him,  and 
brought  him  before  Saul  with  the  head  of  the  Philistine 
in  his  hand.  And  Saul  said  to  him,  Whose  son  art  thou, 
thou  young  man?  And  David  answered,  I  am  the  son  of 
thy  servant  Jesse  the  Bethlehemite."  Now  how  shall  we 
account  for  Saul's  non-recognition  of  David  after  having  had 
him  formerly  at  his  court,  and  numbered  among  his  armor- 
bearers  ?  Some  would  get  rid  of  the  difficulty  by  alleging 
that  there  has  been  a  transposition  of  the  narrative  here,  and 
that  the  account  of  David's  minstrel  visit  to  Gibeah  should 
come  in  after  the  record  of  the  incidents  which  have  been 
before  us  now;  but  for  the  reasons  which  I  formerly  ad- 
vanced, I  can  not  accept  this  theory.  Others  think  that  in 
the  state  of  mind  in  which  Saul  was  when  David  played  be- 
fore him  on  the  harp,  he  would  not  be  able  to  take  any  par- 
ticular notice  of  him,  and  therefore  when  he  saw  him  again 
might  not  recognize  him.  While  others  still  suppose  that 
the  purpose  of  Saul's  question  was  not  to  know  who  David 
was,  but  to  inquire  into  the  character  and  condition  of  his 
family,  that  he  might  make  good  the  promise  which  he  had 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH.  51 

made  to  the  man  that  should  slay  the  Philistine,  to  the  effect 
that  he  would  give  him  his  daughter  in  marriage,  and  make 
his  father's  house  free  in  Israel.  This  is  the  solution  pro- 
posed by  Keil,  who  says  :  "  It  was  not  the  name  of  David's 
father  alone  that  he  wanted  to  discover,  but  what  kind  of  a 
man  he  really  was  ;  and  the  question  was  put  not  merely  in 
order  that  he  might  grant  him  exemption  from  taxes,  but 
also  that  he  might  attach  such  a  man  to  his  court,  since  he 
inferred,  from  the  courage  and  bravery  of  the  son,  the  exist- 
ence of  similar  qualities  in  the  father.  It  is  true  that  David 
merely  replied,  "  The  son  of  thy  servant  Jesse  the  Bethle- 
hemite ;"  but  it  is  evident  from  the  expression  in  chapter 
xviii.,  i  :  "When  he  had  made  an  end  of  speaking  unto  Saul," 
that  Saul  conversed  with  him  still  further  about  his  family  af- 
fairs, since  the  very  words  imply  a  lengthened  conversation.* 
Dr.  Kitto,  however,  is  perhaps  nearer  the  truth  when  he  sug- 
gests that  in  the  interval  between  David's  appearance  at 
court  and  his  fighting  with  the  giant,  he  had  passed  from 
early  youth  into  manhood,  and  so  grown,  as  it  were,  out  of 
Saul's  recognition.  Here  are  his  words :  "  You  would  scarce- 
ly know  him  for  the  same  person  that  you  saw  some  three 
years  ago ;  he  was  then  a  growing  youth,  but  he  has  now 
attained  to  greater  fullness  of  stature,  and  to  more  firmly 
knit  limbs ;  above  all,  his  beard  has  grown,  and  to  those 
who,  like  us,  remove  the  beard  as  soon  as  it  appears,  the 
great  difference  produced  by  the  presence  of  this  appendage 
on  the  face  of  one  who  a  year  or  two  ago  was  a  beardless 
youth,  is  scarcely  conceivable."!  That  was  written  by  the 
good  doctor  twenty-three  years  ago.  I  imagine  that  in  the 
interval  we  have  had  a  good  deal  of  experience  in  the  mat- 

*  Kiel  on  i  Samuel,  p.  178,  note. 

t  Kitto's  "  Daily  Bible  Illustrations,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  240.  See,  also,  this 
whole  subject  very  fairly  argued,  though  there  is  a  leaning  to  the  trans- 
position theory,  in  "  The  Land  and  the  Book,"  p.  568.  English  edition. 


52  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ter  to  which  he  refers,  and  may  therefore  be  the  better  pre- 
pared to  accept  his  explanation  as  the  correct  one. 

In  the  Greek  version  of  the  Old  Testament  made  by  the 
Seventy,  there  is  an  apocryphal  Psalm,  numbered  the  i5ist, 
which  purports  to  have  been  written  by  David  on  the  occa- 
sion of  this  victory ;  but  it  has  nothing  in  it  either  of  the 
beauty  or  the  grandeur  of  David's  odes,  and  is  probably  a 
mythical  production  made  by  some  ordinary  person  on  read- 
ing the  history,  and  attempted  by  him  to  be  palmed  off  as 
the  work  of  the  young  hero.*  Yet,  though  there  was  no  spe- 
cial ode  composed  by  David  on  this  occasion,  we  can  see  in 
many  of  his  lyrics  traces  of  the  influence  which  this,  his  first 
great  victory,  produced  upon  him.  Thus  I  can  not  doubt 
that  he  remembered  the  whole  incidents  of  this  eventful  clay, 
when  he  sang  these  words  :  "  I  will  not  trust  in  my  bow, 
neither  shall  my  sword  save  me.  In  God  we  boast  all  the 
day  long,  and  praise  thy  name  forever."f  And  again, "  There 
is  no  king  saved  by  the  multitude  of  a  host :  a  mighty  man 
is  not  delivered  by  much  strength.  Our  soul  waiteth  for 
the  Lord  :  he  is  our  help  and  our  shield. "J  Nor  can  I  help 
remarking  that  in  this  recognition  of  God,  and  confidence  in 
him,  with  which  David  entered  upon  public  life,  we  have  the 
root  of  the  difference  between  him  and  Saul.  You  never 
hear  Saul  expressing  his  trust  in  God,  as  David  did  when  he 
went  forth  to  meet  Goliath ;  whereas,  as  we  proceed  in  the 
history,  we  shall  find  that  with  David  it  was  habitual.  The 
tendency  of  Saul's  life  was  toward  himself:  any  thing  incon- 
sistent with  that  in  him,  or  about  him,  was  but  fitful  and  spas- 
modic. But  it  was  just  the  reverse  with  David.  The  lean- 
ing of  his  soul  was  toward  God,  and  though  at  times  self  and 
sin  sadly  and  terribly  asserted  their  power,  yet  these  times 

*  See,  for  a  translation  of  this  Psalm,  Stanley's  "  Jewish  Church,"  vol. 
ii.,p.56. 

t  Psalm  xliv.,  6, 8.  t  Psalm  xxxiii.,  16,  20. 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH.  53 

were  only  occasional,  and  out  of  keeping  with  the  usual 
course  and  current  of  his  character.  His  sins,  like  Saul's 
impulses  toward  good  things,  were  but  occasional  eruptions 
of  that  which  it  was  the  habit  of  his  soul  to  repress  ;  his  pie- 
ty, like  Saul's  impiety,  was  the  principle  of  his  life.  And 
herein  we  account  for  the  acceptance  of  the  one,  and  the  re- 
jection of  the  other,  as  the  occupant  of  the  throne  of  Israel. 

But  it  is  time  now  that  we  should  seek  for  some  practical 
guidance  from  this  subject  for  our  daily  lives,  and  for  the 
better  understanding  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Every  reader 
of  the  narrative  will  see  many  points  in  which  it  both  touches 
and  illustrates  New  Testament  themes.  Thus,  without  going 
the  length  of  adopting  the  view  that  David  was  in  all  this  a 
type  of  Christ,  we  can  not  see  him  confronting  the  giant  with 
his  sling  and  stone,  and  consummating  his  destruction  with 
his  own  sword,  without  being  reminded  of  a  greater  than  He 
who  foiled  the  prince  of  darkness  with  a  triple  thrust  of  the 
sword  of  the  Spirit  which  is  the  Word  of  God,  and  who 
"  through  death  destroyed  him  that  had  the  power  of  death, 
and  delivered  them  who  through  fear  of  death  were  all  their 
lifetime  subject  to  bondage." 

Again  :  when  we  think  of  the  tribal  inheritance  of  Judah, 
still  in  a  large  degree  retained  by  the  Philistines,  who  ever 
and  anon  arose  to  reclaim  it  all,  and  sometimes  nearly  suc- 
ceeded, we  have  a  striking  analogy  to  the  heart  of  the  be- 
liever, wherein,  though  he  has  given  himself  to  Jesus,  and  has 
been  renewed  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  divers  sins  and  lusts  do 
still  contend  for  the  mastery ;  and  sometimes  one  of  them, 
attaining  Goliath-like  proportions,  threatens  to  enslave  him 
altogether.  Who  has  not  felt  himself  thus  menaced  by  some 
fierce  passion  ?  Each  of  us  has  his  own  giant  to  fight,  and 
here,  too,  it  must  be  single  combat,  with  no  one  to  help  us 
but  Him  who  went  forth  with  the  stripling  David.  With 
some  of  us  it  is  temper ;  with  some  avarice  ;  with  some  ap- 


54  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

petite ;  with  some  ambition  ;  but  whatever  it  be,  let  us  learn 
to  resist  it  courageously,  relying  on  the  might  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  the  victory  will  be  ours. 

Or,  yet  again,  in  contending  with  external  evils,  we  may 
sometimes  feel  that  they  have  assumed  such  magnitude  as 
to  appall  us.  Thus,  which  of  us  is  not  brought  almost  to  a 
stand-still,  when  he  surveys  the  ignorance,  infidelity,  intem- 
perance, and  licentiousness  by  which  we  are  surrounded  ? 
It  seems  to  us  sometimes,  in  moments  of  depression,  as  if 
these  evils,  and  perhaps  the  last  of  them  the  worst,  were 
stalking  forth  defiantly  before  the  armies  of  the  living  God, 
and  laughing  them,  Goliath-like,  to  scorn ;  and  our  courage 
is  apt  to  cool  as  we  contemplate  this  show  of  force.  But 
we  must  not  allow  these  feelings  to  prevail.  The  God  of 
David  liveth,  and  he  will  still  give  us  success.  The  great 
danger  that  besets  the  Christian  at  such  times  is  that  of  at- 
tempting to  fight  with  the  world's  weapons.  The  worldling 
will  always  overcome  •  him  when  he  does  so,  because  the 
Christian  in  such  armor  is  not  at  home.  He  can  not  use  it 
unscrupulously  as  the  worldling  does ;  and  the  moment  he 
undertakes  to  employ  it,  he  seals  his  own  defeat.  Let  him 
go  forth  with  the  cross  of  Christ  in  his  hand,  and  by  that  he 
will  conquer  ;  but  if  he  seek  a  lower  weapon,  and  try  to  fight 
with  force  of  law,  or  with  earthly  philosophy,  or  with  mere  so- 
cial expedients,  he  will  inevitably  fail.  What  David's  sling 
and  stone  were  in  the  Valley  of  Elah,  that  is  the  cross  of 
Christ  in  the  theological  controversies,  and  social  wranglings, 
and  moral  antagonisms  of  our  age  ;  and  so  long  as  we  preach 
Christ  crucified,  it  matters  not  though  men  ridicule  it  as  fool- 
ishness, it  shall  prove  to  be  "the  power  of  God  and  the 
wisdom  of  God."  "The  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not 
carnal,  but"  (though  they  are  not  carnal — nay, just  because 
they  are  not  carnal)  "  mighty,  through  God,  to  the  pulling 
down  of  strongholds."  Arrayed  in  the  armor  of  the  world, 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH.  55 

the  Christian  will  be  weaker  than  the  weakest  of  his  adversa- 
ries ;  but  let  him  be  but  panoplied  from  the  spiritual  armory 
of  God,  and  he  will  be  mightier  than  the  mightiest  of  his  foes. 

But  leaving  these  general  applications  of  this  many-sided 
story,  we  may  learn  from  the  bearing  of  David  all  through, 
two  or  three  valuable  lessons,  with  the  enumeration  of  which 
I  shall  for  the  present  conclude.  There  is,  first,  an  exam- 
ple of  meekness.  When  the  haughty  and  scornful  Eliab 
assailed  him  with  taunting  words,  the  young  shepherd  kept 
his  temper,  and  we  feel  how  difficult  that  must  have  been  for 
him,  when,  as  we  read  the  story,  our  own  hearts  rise  in  burn- 
ing indignation  at  the  spirit  which  the  elder  brother  evinced. 
Probably  this  was  not  the  first  time  that  Eliab  attempted  to 
lord  it  over  him,  for  unhappily  it  is  only  too  common  for  the 
seniors  in  a  family  to  tyrannize  over  and  torment  the  jun- 
iors ;  but  David  kept  himself  calm,  and  like  Another,  in  a 
yet  more  trying  hour,  "  when  he  was  reviled,  he  reviled  not 
again."  "  He  that  ruleth  his  spirit  is  greater  than  he  that 
taketh  a  city ;"  and  to  my  thinking  this  calmness  of  soul  un- 
der Eliab's  taunt  was  a  greater  thing  in  David  than  his  bold- 
ness before  the  giant.  I  do  not,  of  course,  in  thus  emphasiz- 
ing David's  meekness,  extenuate  the  rudeness  of  Eliab.  On 
the  contrary,  it  was  worthy  of  all  reprobation,  but  David  felt 
that  he  was  called  not  to  fight  with  Eliab  in  this  matter,  but 
with  himself,  and  so  he  held  his  peace.  Let  us  try  to  imi- 
tate his  example,  and  when  we  are  assailed  in  our  home,  or 
beyond  it,  with  scorn  and  derision,  let  us  remember  that  our 
real  conflict  in  such  a  case  is  not  with  the  scorner,  but  with 
ourselves.  Let  our  effort  be  put  forth  not  to  silence  him,  but 
to  control  ourselves,  and  then  we  shall  succeed  in  obtaining 
a  victory  over  both. 

But  we  have  here  again  an  example  of  faith.  David  believed 
God,  and  his  name  might  fitly  have  been  included  by  Paul  in 
that  illustrious  catalogue  which  he  has  given  us  in  the  elev- 


56  DAVID,  JVING  OF  ISRAEL. 

enth  chapter  of  the  Hebrews.  He  was  not  afraid  of  Goliath, 
because  he  saw  God  beside  himself.  And  one  great  reason 
why  his  faith  was  now  so  strong  was  that  he  remembered 
God's  former  kindness  to  him.  He  thought  of  the  day  when 
he  prevailed  over  the  lion  and  the  bear,  and  he  reasoned  that 
the  God  who  had  heard  his  prayer  and  helped  him  then,  would 
assist  him  now.  Similarly,  in  all  difficult  enterprises,  let  us 
Christians  realize  that  God  is  with  us ;  and  to  this  end  let  us 
recall  those  former  occasions  when  he  has  strengthened  and 
delivered  us.  We  have  all  had  former  deliverances  of  some 
kind,  and  particularly  we  have  all  been  redeemed  by  the 
great  price  of  the  blood  of  Christ.  Let  us  think  of  that  when 
we  have  dangerous  work  to  do,  and  we  shall  be  nerved  to  do 
it  bravely.  "  He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  deliver- 
ed him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  with  him  also  freely 
give  us  all  things  ?"  "  This  is  the  victory  that  overcometh 
the  world,  even  our  faith." 

Finally,  we  have  here  an  example  of  humility.  David's 
purpose,  in  all  he  did  (and  this  shows  how  thoroughly  Eliab 
had  misunderstood  him),  was  not  to  display  himself,  but  to 
honor  God.  Mark  these  words :  "  That  all  the  earth  may 
know  that  there  is  a  God  in  Israel.  And  all  this  assembly 
shall  know  that  the  Lord  saveth  not  with  sword  and  spear : 
for  the  battle  is  the  Lord's."  Here  was  the  secret  of  David's 
victory.  He  went  to  do  God's  will.  He  sought  not  to  glo- 
rify himself,  but  to  serve  Jehovah ;  and  by  this  trait  in  his 
character  he  takes  his  place  in  the  noblest  brotherhood  of 
heroes  of  whom  sacred  history  makes  mention.  As  we  read 
these  words  we  think  of  Elijah,  on  the  brow  of  Carmel,  con- 
fronting the  hosts  of  Baal,  and  saying,  in  his  fervent  prayer, 
"  Let  it  be  known  this  day  that  thou  art  God  in  Israel — hear 
me  that  this  people  may  know  that  thou  art  the  Lord  God." 
We  think  of  John  the  Baptist  turning  away  from  the  tempta- 
tion that  was  set  before  him  to  proclaim  himself  Messiah, 


THE  CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH.  57 

saying,  "  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease."  We  think 
of  Peter  calling  to  the  wondering  crowd  that  thronged  around 
the  lame  man  who  had  been  cured, "  Why  marvel  ye  at  this, 
or  why  look  ye  so  earnestly  at  us,  as  though  by  our  own  pow- 
er or  holiness  we  had  made  this  man  to  walk?"  We  think 
of  Paul  writing  from  Rome,  with  his  chained  hand,  to  the 
Philippians,  and  saying,  "According  to  my  earnest  expecta- 
tion, and  my  hope  that  in  nothing  I  shall  be  ashamed,  but 
that  with  all  boldness  as  always  so  now  also  Christ  shall 
be  magnified  in  my  body,  whether  it  be  by  life  or  by  death." 
David,  Elijah,  John,  Peter,  Paul — where  are  the  men  who 
have  done  more  valiantly  in  the  world  than  they?  and  yet 
they  did  it  by  putting  God  uppermost,  and  seeking  his  glory 
first.  That  was  the  secret  of  their  success,  and  that  we  are 
not  like  them  in  that  is  the  explanation  of  our  failure.  We 
succeed  in  little,  because  we  are  aiming  after  our  own  honor, 
and  not  after  the  honor  of  the  Lord.  This  keeps  us  from  en- 
tering at  all  on  many  fields  of  usefulness,  and  prevents  us 
from  working  with  a  right  loyal,  hearty,  and  self-sacrificing 
spirit,  even  in  the  best  directions.  And  yet  how  little  we  se- 
cure honor  to  ourselves  after  all !  The  men  who  are  always 
grasping  after  greatness  and  distinction  never  get  them  — 
they  only  degrade  and  belittle  themselves  by  their  efforts ; 
while  they  who  put  the  Lord  Jesus  first,  and  seek  his  glory, 
become  at  length  sharers  in  his  divine  renown.  "  Them  that 
honor  me,  I  will  honor."  This  is  the  great  law.  Let  us, 
therefore,  merge  self  in  him  ;  let  us,  whether  in  pulpit,  or 
pew,  or  home,  or  counting-house,  or  senate-chamber,  or  hall 
of  judgment,  hide  ourselves  behind  the  Lord  Jesus ;  and 
then,  working  from  love  to  him,  we  too  shall  do  valiantly : 
and  though  our  weapons  be  no  more  than  a  sling  and  a 
stone,  the  spiritual  adversaries  with  whom  we  may  contend, 
gigantic  though  they  be,  shall  fall  before  us,  for  "we  shall  be 
more  than  conquerors  through  Him  that  loved  us." 

3* 


D 


IV. 

DAVID  AND  JONATHAN. 
i  SAMUEL  xviii.,  1-30. 

AVID'S  interview  with  Saul  after  the  slaughter  of  the 
giant  must  have  lasted  a  considerable  time,  and  must 
have  embraced  other  subjects  than  his  parentage ;  for  its  re- 
sult was  that  Jonathan,  the  king's  son,  was  so  favorably  im- 
pressed by  him,  that  he  took  him  to  his  special  regard,  and 
formed  with  him  a  league  of  friendship,  which  for  sincerity, 
constancy,  and  romantic  pathos  is  unrivaled  in  the  annals 
of  history,  whether  sacred  or  profane.  As  we  have  already 
seen,  there  were  in  David  both  physical  and  moral  qualities, 
which  tended  to  win  for  him  the  affection  of  those  with 
whom  he  came  into  contact.  His  ruddy  complexion,  beau- 
tiful countenance,  and  well-knit  frame  would  immediately 
evoke  a  warrior's  admiration,  while,  in  his  encounter  with  the 
giant,  he  had  exhibited  such  a  mingling  of  courage,  prudence, 
and  humility  as  must  have  captivated  the  chivalrous  heart 
of  Jonathan.  Perhaps,  also,  in  the  conversation,  some  flash- 
es of  his  poetic  genius  might  gleam  forth,  or  some  evidence 
of  his  piety  might  appear,  to  increase  the  attraction ;  but  in 
any  case,  "  the  soul  of  Jonathan  was  knit  with  the  soul  of 
David,  and  Jonathan  loved  him  as  his  own  soul."  As  a  sub- 
stantial token  of  this  affection,  he  gave  to  David  "  his  robe 
and  his  garments,  even  to  his  sword,  and  his  bow  and  his 
girdle."  It  is  not  said  that  David  gave  him  any  thing  in 
return,  but  it  is  likely  that  there  was  some  exchange  made 
between  them,  and  that  the  present  of  David  to  Jonathan 
was  of  so  little  value,  comparatively  speaking,  that  no  men- 


DAVID  AND  JONATHAN.  59 

tion  is  here  made  of  it.  At  all  events,  such  interchanges 
of  gifts  were  not  uncommon  between  friends  in  ancient 
times,  and  Homer  gives  us  some  instances  that  may  illus- 
trate what  is  here  recorded.  In  particular  he  tells  that 
Glaucus  exchanged  armor  with  Diomede,  "  golden  for  brazen, 
the  value  of  a  hundred  oxen  for  the  value  of  nine."*  Per- 
haps, therefore,  there  was  some  similar  reciprocity  here,  as 
the  seal  of  the  new-born  affection  between  Jonathan  and 
David. 

According  to  the  common  chronology,  Jonathan  was  con- 
siderably older  than  David ;  but  there  was  such  community 
of  sentiment  between  them  on  the  highest  and  most  impor- 
tant of  all  matters,  and  such  similarity  of  tastes  generally,  as 
fitted  them  for  each  other's  fellowship.  They  were  one  in 
their  faith  in  God,  and  in  their  devotion  to  his  will ;  for  on 
the  memorable  occasion  when  Jonathan  went  forth,  with  his 
armor-bearer  as  his  sole  companion,  to  attack  the  Philistine 
stronghold,  he  said,  in  a  spirit  of  sublimest  trust,  "  It  is  all 
one  to  the  Lord  to  save  by  many  or  by  few;"  and  in  after- 
clays,  when  he  parted  from  David  for  the  last  time,  in  the 
wilderness  of  Ziph,  we  are  told  that  "  he  strengthened  Da- 
vid's hand  in  God."  Then  they  had  both  a  genius  for  mili- 
tary leadership,  and  this  would  help  in  some  measure  to  ce- 
ment their  friendship. 

But  though  all  this  must  be  admitted,  and  though  we  do 
not  wish  in  the  least  degree  to  disparage  David  in  this  mat- 
ter, yet  there  are  special  considerations  which  must  be  taken 
into  account,  and  which  are  peculiarly  to  the  credit  of  Jona- 
than. I  can  not  allude  to  them  all  without,  in  some  degree, 
anticipating  the  narrative ;  but  it  is  so  important  to  have  a 
clear  and  distinct  idea  of  the  whole  intimacy  between  these 
two  remarkable  men,  that  I  may  be  excused  for  referring  at 

*  "  Iliad,"  book  vi.,  lines  232-236. 


60  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

this  early  stage  to  incidents  which  will  come  up  for  review 
at  a  later  portion  of  the  history. 

In  the  outset,  then,  we  can  not  fail  to  be  impressed  with 
the  disinterested  nature  of  this  friendship,  as  far  as  Jonathan 
was  concerned.  The  king's  son  had,  humanly  speaking,  at 
this  date  nothing  to  gain  from  the  shepherd  of  Bethlehem. 
Jonathan  might  be  of  great  service  to  David,  but  it  was 
scarcely  likely  that  David  could  do  very  much  for  him. 
His  taking  of  David  to  his  heart,  therefore,  was  a  purely  un- 
selfish thing.  It  was  the  outgoing  of  his  affections  toward 
an  object  to  which  they  were  attracted,  and  all  his  joy  was 
in  yielding  to  the  charm  by  which  he  was  influenced.  Too 
frequently  the  favorites  of  kings,  and  perhaps  more  fre- 
quently of  king's  sons,  have  been  those  who  have  risen  to 
their  position  by  pandering  to  the  prejudices,  or  toadying  to 
the  weaknesses,  or,  worse  than  either,  by  ministering  to  the 
vices,  of  those  by  whom  they  were  valued.  But  Jonathan  had 
no  such  reasons  for  binding  David  to  him.  He  saw  in  the 
young  hero  a  congenial  soul  and  a  true  man.  He  was  at- 
tracted by  his  piety,  his  patriotism,  and  his  prowess,  and  he 
yielded  up  his  heart  to  him  in  the  unselfish  impulse  of  disin- 
terested affection. 

Again :  this  friendship  was  not  tainted  on  Jonathan's  side 
by  the  slightest  trace  of  envy  or  jealousy.  There  are,  I  fear, 
few  such  friendships  between  those  who  are  nearly  equals 
in  eminence  in  the  same  profession.  The  proverb  says  that 
"  two  of  a  trade  can  never  agree,"  and  it  takes  high-toned 
principle  to  rejoice  in  the  rise,  to  an  equal  position  with  our- 
selves, of  one  who  is  in  the  same  calling  with  us.  Provided 
there  be  a  sufficient  distance  between  us,  either  in  excellence, 
or  in  success,  the  difficulty  is  not  greatly  felt  on  either  side. 
The  young  statesman,  just  entering  on  public  life,  has  neither 
jealousy  nor  envy  of  the  veteran  leader,  who  has  by  genius 
and  perseverance  made  his  way  to  the  front  rank  of  politi- 


DAVID  AND  JONATHAN.  61 

cians,  and  the  leader,  in  his  turn,  feels  it  easy  to  be  cordial 
and  encouraging  to  the  youthful  aspirant.  But  let  the  one 
see  the  other  as  nearly  as  possible  on  a  level  with  himself, 
even  in  his  own  chosen  department  of  excellence,  and  feel 
that  probably  he  must  soon  consent  to  be  second  to  him, 
and  the  case  is  altered.  Then,  almost  in  spite  of  themselves, 
jealousies  and  envyings  will  spring  up  between  them ;  they 
will  look  askance  at  each  other,  and  though  they  may  not 
break  out  into  open  foes,  there  will  be,  what  I  may  call,  a  sort 
of  armed  watchfulness  between  them,  and  a  very  little  matter 
will  set  them  in  direct  antagonism.  The  nearer  individuals 
come  into  competition  with  each  other,  the  greater  is  their 
tendency  to  be  spiteful  toward  each  other.  It  is  easy  to  be 
a  patron,  and,  stooping  down  from  a  lofty  height,  to  take  by 
the  hand  some  struggling  beginner ;  it  is  easy,  too,  to  be  an 
admiring  pupil  of  one  who  is  acknowledged  to  be  a  great 
way  above  us ;  but  it  is  a  much  harder,  and  therefore  a 
much  nobler,  thing  to  be  the  warm  appreciative  friend  of  one 
who  is  in  the  same  calling  with  ourselves,  and  who  is  bid- 
ding fair  to  outshine  and  surpass  us.  But  it  was  just  this 
hard  and  noble  thing  that  Jonathan  did,,  when  he  took  to 
his  heart  the  youthful  David.  He  did  not  seem  to  care  that 
the  duel  with  the  giant  would,  in  the  after  -  history  of  the 
nation,  be  seen  to  rival  his  own  briHiant  achievement  at 
Geba.  He  did  not  think  of  himself  at  all ;  but  having 
found  a  man  whom  he  could  love  and  trust,  he  "grappled 
him  to  his  soul  with  hooks  of  steel."  Nay,  even  when  he 
came  to  discover  that  David  was  the  predestined  occupant 
of  his  father's  throne,  the  heart  of  Jonathan  was  never  alien- 
ated from  him.  He  accepted  the  lot  which  was  before  him, 
and  rejoiced  in  it  for  David's  sake,  saying  only  "Thou  shalt 
be  king  in  Israel,  and  I  shall  be  next  unto  thee."*  I  have 

*  i  Sam.  xxiii.,  17. 


62        .  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

a  high  idea  of  David's  magnanimity,  but  I  doubt  whether  it 
could  have  equaled  this  of  Jonathan ;  and  so,  in  the  matter 
of  this  friendship,  I  am  disposed  to  give  the  palm  to  the  son 
of  Saul.  And  I  greatly  mistake  if,  as  you  read  the  record, 
you  shall  not  grow  into  the  belief  which  I  have  long  enter- 
tained, that  there  are  few  characters  in  Old  Testament  his- 
tory which,  for  genuineness,  chivalry,  self-sacrifice,  and  con- 
stancy at  once  to  his  father  and  his  friend,  can  be  put  into 
comparison  with  Jonathan. 

This  leads  me  to  say,  further,  that  we  are  deeply  im- 
pressed with  the  fidelity  with  which,  on  Jonathan's  part,  this 
friendship  was  maintained  even  in  the  face  of  personal  dan- 
gers. When  Saul's  heart  was  stirred  against  David,  and 
was  filled  with  murderous  intent  regarding  him,  Jonathan 
was  placed  in  a  very  difficult  and  perplexing  position.  He- 
was  called  to  decide  between  his  father  and  David,  yet  he 
was  true  to  his  friend,  without  being  unfilial  to  Saul.  In 
David's  absence  he  stood  forth  in  his  defense  before  the 
king,  and  once  so  provoked  the  royal  indignation,  that  his 
own  life  was  endangered.  Still  he  adhered  to  David  after 
all  this ;  and  there  are  few  more  touching  incidents  record- 
ed in  history  than  that  of  their  parting  by  the  stone  Ezel, 
when  "  they  kissed  one  another,  and  wept  one  with  another 
until  David  exceeded  ;"*  or  that  of  their  last  interview,  in  the 
forest  of  Ziph,  when,  though  the  son  of  Jesse  was  fleeing 
from  his  father,  "Jonathan  strengthened  his  hand  in  God."f 
That  is  the  stoutest  cable  which  can  stand  the  strain  of  the 
fiercest  storm,  and  truly  heroic  must  that  friendship  have 
been  which  lasted  through  such  dangers  and  heart  perplexi- 
ties as  did  this  of  Jonathan  for  David.  Nor,  to  be  just  to  Da- 
vid, ought  I  to  forget  to  add  that  it  was  on  his  part  intensely 
appreciated.  It  was  his  solace  as  a  fugitive  and  exile ;  it 

*  I  Sam.  xx.,  41.  t  I  Sam.  xxiii.,  16. 


DAVID  AND  JONATHAN.  63 

kept  him  repeatedly  from  laying  violent  hands  on  Saul;  it 
disposed  him  long  afterward  to  show  kindness  to  the  chil- 
dren and  children's  children  of  his  early  friend ;  and  on  that 
dark  day  when,  in  filial  devotion  to  his  father,  the  warrior 
fell  on  Mount  Gilboa,  "  slain  on  his  own  high  places,"  it  in- 
spired him  to  sing  his  lament,  in  that  plaintive  ode,  which, 
by  its  passionate  outburst  of  grief,  has  given  even  to  this 
present  age  its  grandest  funeral  music. 

Having  dwelt  so  long  on  this  beautiful  union  between  two 
congenial  spirits,  you  will  forgive  me  if,  before  proceeding  to 
less  agreeable  themes,  I  say  a  few  words  on  the  principles 
which  ought  to  regulate  our  choice  of  friends.  It  is  for  the 
most  part  in  early  life  that  lasting  companionships  are  form- 
ed, and  their  influence  on  the  course  and  complexion  of  the 
after  career  can  scarcely  be  overestimated.  "  He  that  walk- 
eth  with  wise  men  shall  be  wise ;  but  the  companion  of  fools 
shall  be  destroyed."  There  are  few  ways  of  pitching  one's 
tent  "  toward  Sodom  "  so  common,  or  so  insidious  as  the  se- 
lection of  improper  friends.  Let  me  earnestly  counsel  you 
all,  therefore,  and  especially  the  young,  to  secure  first,  and  be- 
fore all  others,  the  friendship  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Give  your 
hearts  in  confidence  and  love  to  him.  Trust  him  as  your 
Saviour.  Follow  him  as  your  example.  Imbibe  his  princi- 
ples. Obey  his  precepts.  Seek  to  possess  his  spirit,  and  to 
secure  his  regard.  Remember  the  words  which  he  spake  to 
his  first  followers  :  "  Ye  are  my  friends  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I 
command  you.  Henceforth  I  call  you  not  servants,  for  the 
servant  knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth,  but  I  have  called 
you  friends  ;  for  all  things  that  I  have  heard  of  my  Father,  I 
have  made  known  unto  you."  Aim  first  at  securing  this  con- 
fidential intercourse  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  through  the 
study  of  his  Word,  and  earnest  prayer  to  the  Father  in  his 
name.  Then  make  this,  your  fellowship  with  Jesus,  the  test 
by  which  you  determine  whether  or  not  you  will  accept  the 


64  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

earthly  friendships  which  are  offered  to  you.  You  can  not 
withdraw  from  all  dealings  of  every  sort  with  the  ungodly, 
for  then  must  you  go  out  of  the  world  altogether ;  but  into 
the  inner  circle  of  your  friends  let  none  be  admitted  who  do 
not  love  supremely  the  Lord  who  has  redeemed  you,  and 
who  can  not  "strengthen  your  hand  in  God."  Make  this 
the  indispensable  prerequisite  to  your  intimate  companion- 
ship. If  he  who  seeks  to  become  your  friend  would  endeav- 
or to  undermine  your  religious  principles,  or  to  loosen  the 
bonds  that  unite  you  to  the  members  of  your  Father's  house, 
or  to  lead  you  into  places  and  practices  in  which  you  would 
lose  the  fellowship  of  Christ,  then  turn  away  from  him,  and 
say,  "  My  soul,  come  not  thou  into  their  secret ;  into  their 
assembly  mine  honor  be  not  thou  united." 

But  even  among  Christians,  seek  for  your  friends  those  who 
have  the  greatest  affinity  with  you,  and  in  whom  you  can  find 
your  own  weaknesses  of  character  most  materially  strength- 
ened. There  must  be  some  points  of  contact  and  resemblance 
between  you  and  your  friend,  otherwise  there  can  be  no  real 
companionship ;  but  there  must  also  be  certain  elements  of 
diversity,  otherwise  the  one  can  be  no  help  to  the  other.  If 
the  one  be  merely  the  echo  of  the  other,  the  friendship  will 
be  tame  and  profitless  to  both ;  but  if  in  the  individuality  of 
each  there  be  qualities  which  the  other  lacks,  and  if  these 
are  allowed  by  both  to  have  free  play  in  their  mutual  fellow- 
ship, great  good  to  both  will  be  the  result.  This  was  the 
nature  of  that  companionship,  the  record  and  memorial  of 
which  has  been  given  to  the  world  by  Tennyson,  in  his  "  In 
Memoriam;"  and  the  idea  of  friendship  is  sketched  by  him 
in  these  lines : 

"  He  was  rich  where  I  was  poor ; 
And  he  supplied  my  want  the  more, 
As  his  unlikeness  fitted  mine." 

It  may  seem,  however,  that  in  giving  the  advice  which  I  am 


DAVID  AND  JONATHAN.  65 

now  enforcing  I  were  making  friendship  impossible,  inas- 
much as,  if  we  are  to  look  for  those  who  are  thus  richer  than 
ourselves,  the  benefit  must  be  entirely  one-sided.  But  it  is 
not  so ;  for  we  may  be  as  greatly  superior  to  our  friend  in 
some  things  as  he  is  to  us  in  others,  and  he  may  receive 
as  much  from  us  in  some  departments  as  we  may  obtain  in 
others  from  him.  Thus  the  relationship  will  become,  mutu- 
ally helpful.  How  many  instances  of  such  reciprocity  have 
occurred  in  history !  John  and  Peter,  Barnabas  and  Paul, 
Luther  and  Melancthon,  have  proved  at  once  the  possibility 
and  the  advantage  of  such  a  friendship  as  I  have  suggested ; 
and  as  we  see  each  pair  shining  like  binary  stars  in  the  firma- 
ment of  history — two,  and  yet  in  a  great  sense  one — we  have 
before  us  at  once  a  model  and  a  motive.  On  this  subject  I 
know  few  things  in  our  literature  finer,  or  more  instructive, 
than  the  lines  which  Cowper  has  devoted  to  its  elucidation. 
I  commend  them  all  to  your  careful  study,  and  select  only 
the  following  stanzas,  by  way  of  whetting  your  appetite  for 

the  rest : 

"  No  friendship  will  abide  the  test 
That  stands  on  sordid  interest, 

And  mean  self-love  erected  ; 
Nor  such  as  may  a  while  subsist 
'Twixt  sensualist  and  sensualist, 
For  vicious  ends  connected. 

"  Who  hopes  a  friend,  should  have  a  heart 
Himself,  well  furnished  for  the  part, 

And  ready  on  occasion 
To  show  the  virtue  that  he  seeks ; 
For  'tis  a  union  that  bespeaks 
A  just  reciprocation. 

"  Pursue  the  theme,  and  you  shall  find 
A  disciplined  and  furnished  mind 

To  be  at  least  expedient ; 
And  after  summing  all  the  rest, 
Religion  ruling  in  the  breast, 

A  principal  ingredient." 


66  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

But  we  must  turn  now,  with  whatever  reluctance,  to  con- 
template Saul's  treatment  of  David.  Immediately  after  the 
conquest  of  Goliath,  the  king  seemed  to  be  friendly  enough 
to  the  young  victor.  He  was  in  no  haste,  indeed,  to  perform 
the  promises  which  he  had  made  previous  to  the  encounter, 
but  he  took  him  with  him  to  Gibeah,  and  would  let  him  re- 
turn no  more  to  his  father's  house.  He  made  him  also  one 
of  his  chief  captains ;  and  such  was  the  amiability  of  David, 
that  his  exaltation,  far  from  exciting  the  enmity  of  the  mon- 
arch's former  servants,  was  approved  of  and  rejoiced  in  by 
them.  This  very  popularity,  however,  was  destined,  in  a 
short  time,  to  turn  the  heart  of  Saul  against  him,  and  a  very 
simple  occasion  was  sufficient  to  rouse  his  anger  and  re- 
venge. After  their  successful  campaign  against  the  Phi- 
listines, the  Israelitish  troops  returned  in  formal  triumph 
through  many  of  the  cities.  They  were  met  generally  at  the 
gates  by  companies  of  women,  who,  playing  on  the  tabret 
and  dancing  to  their  own  music,  chanted  also  in  responsive 
chorus  rhythmic  lines  appropriate  to  the  occasion.  At  the 
end  of  every  strophe  there  came  this  refrain,  sung  by  an- 
swering companies :  "  Saul  hath  slain  his  thousands,  and 
David  his  ten  thousands."  Very  likely  there  was  nothing 
more  meant  by  this  than  an  expression  of  joy  at  the  nation's 
deliverance,  with  such  exaggeration  as  strong  emotion  is  al- 
ways prone  to  indulge  in;  but  the  sensitive  soul  of  Saul, 
now  all  the  more  inclined  to  be  suspicious,  since  Samuel  had 
foretold  the  taking  of  the  kingdom  from  him,  took  offense 
at  the  implied  preference  of  David  to  himself,  and  seeing, 
perhaps  for  the  first  time,  in  the  youthful  Bethlehemite  that 
"neighbor  better  than  himself"  to  whom  his  kingdom  was 
to  be  given,  he  murmured  thus  moodily  to  himself:  "They 
have  ascribed  unto  David  ten  thousand,  and  to  me  they 
have  ascribed  but  thousands ;  and  what  can  he  have  more 
but  the  kingdom."  The  thought  was  gall  and  wormwood  to 


DAVID  AND  JONATHAN.  67 

his  heart,  and  from  that  moment  the  determination  to  check- 
mate David,  and  get  rid  of  him  by  any  means,  no  matter 
how  unscrupulous,  became  the  ruling  passion  of  his  life. 
Let  it  be  observed,  too,  that  there  was  in  this  not  only  ha- 
tred of  David,  but  also  a  defiant  determination  to  circum- 
vent and  defeat  the  published  purpose  of  the  Almighty.  I 
am  particular  to  draw  your  attention  to  this  point,  because 
it  is  this,  that  especially  marks  the  depth  to  which  Saul  had 
sunk.  Samuel  had  foretold  that  the  kingdom  was  to  be 
given  to  another,  and  now  that  there  is  a  sort  of  prophetic 
premonition  in  his  own  heart  that  David  was  his  appointed 
successor,  he  is  only  thereby  roused  to  more  active  antago- 
nism, and  seeks  to  make  the  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  im- 
possible. As  Herod,  long  afterward,  deliberately  inquired 
what  the  meaning  of  a  prophecy  was,  in  order  that  he  might 
set  himself  to  falsify  it,  so  Saul  here  defiantly  sets  himself 
to  defeat  Jehovah.  It  was  a  strange  perversity.  If  the  pre- 
diction had  not  come  from  God,  why  should  he  have  cared 
at  all  about  it  ?  but  if  it  had  come  from  God,  could  all  his 
efforts  prevent  its  fulfillment?  Ah  me!  how  vain  the  en- 
deavor to  beat  back  the  Almighty !  and  how  terrible  that 
confession  of  defeat  which  came  from  Saul  on  that  weird 
night  when,  beside  the  cottage  of  Endor,  he  cried,  "  Bring 
me  up  Samuel !"  But  it  was  then  too  late,  and  Samuel 
came  only  to  pronounce  his  doom. 

The  first  effect  of  Saul's  jealousy  was  a  relapse  of  his  mal- 
ady, under  the  influence  of  which  he  was  in  a  kind  of  rapture, 
like  that  of  the  prophets  when  the  Spirit  came  upon  them ; 
but  in  his  case  it  was  a  spirit  of  evil,  and  not  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord.  David,  seeing  that  he  was  troubled  as  before,  took  his 
harp  and  tuned  it  to  sweetest  music ;  but  instead  of  being 
soothed  thereby,  the  maniac  monarch  became  only  the  more 
enraged,  and  twice  aimed  a  javelin  at  the  head  of  the  mu- 
sician, who  escaped  only  by  dexterously  evading  its  point. 


68  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

This  violence  of  his  frenzy  soon  spent  itself,  but  it  settled 
down  into  a  deliberate  purpose  to  compass  David's  destruc- 
tion, not  at  first  directly,  but  by  roundabout  contrivances. 
First,  he  put  him  into  a  position  in  which  he  expected  that 
by  his  inexperience  he  would  provoke  such  opposition  as 
might  end  in  his  death.  But  David  behaved  himself  wisely, 
and  nothing  came  out  of  that  plan.  Then,  after  promising 
to  give  him  Merab,  his  elder  daughter,  to  wife,  he  insulted 
him  by  bestowing  her  upon  Adriel,  the  Meholathite,  expect- 
ing, probably,  that  David  would  thereby  be  roused  to  do  or 
say  something  that  might  be  construed  into  treason,  and  so 
furnish  a  legal  pretext  for  his  being  put  to  death.  But  nei- 
ther did  he  succeed  in  this.  Thereafter  he  discovered  that 
Michal,  his  second  daughter,  had  fallen  in  love  with  David, 
and,  in  a  most  diabolical  spirit,  he  resolved  to  sacrifice  her 
most  tender  feelings  to  his  own  vindictive  malice,  by  attempt- 
ing to  make  her  a  snare  to  him.  He  caused  some  of  his 
servants  privately  to  sound  David,  who  in  the  most  prudent 
fashion  intimated  that  he  was  by  no  means  eager  to  be  the 
king's  son-in-law,  since  he  was  a  poor  man,  and  could  not 
give  any  thing  like  a  dowry  suitable  for  a  king's  daughter. 
In  the  East  it  was  usual,  and,  I  believe,  is  so  still,  for  the 
bridegroom  to  give  a  large  present  to  his  father-in-law,  in  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  blessing  which  he  expects  to  receive  in 
his  wife  ;  and  it  is  to  this,  probably,  that  David  alludes  when 
he  says,  "  Seemeth  it  to  you  a  light  thing  to  be  a  king's  son- 
in-law,  seeing  that  I  am  a  poor  man  and  lightly  esteemed  ?" 
On  hearing  a  report  of  this  conversation,  Saul  saw  in  the 
very  poverty  of  David  a  means  of  revenging  himself;  and 
he  cunningly  and  cruelly  intimates  to  him  that  he  would  ac- 
cept, as  a  dowry  for  Michal,  the  proof,  "furnished  after  the 
barbarous  fashion  of  the  times,"  that  he  had  slain  a  hundred 
of  the  enemies  of  Israel.  His  intention  in  all  this  was  to 
secure,  as  far  as  human  calculations  could  secure,  David's 


DAVID  AND  JONATHAN.  69 

death,  while  yet  not  Saul,  but  the  Philistines,  would  be  the 
ostensible  authors  of  the  mischief.  But  he  was  again  disap- 
pointed, for  He  who  went  forth  with  Othniel  when  he  won 
the  daughter  of  Caleb  went  forth  again  with  David ;  so  that 
before  the  appointed  time  he  returned  with  evidence  that 
two  hundred  of  the  Philistines  had  fallen  before  his  compa- 
ny. After  this  there  could  be  no  possible  pretext  for  delay- 
ing the  marriage :  so  Michal  became  the  wife  of  David ;  and 
though  the  connection  was  not  such  as  permanently  con- 
tributed either  to  David's  happiness  or  holiness,  we  can  not 
deny  to  her  the  praise  of  standing  faithful  to  him  for  a  time, 
even  at  the  expense  of  her  father's  indignation.  She  would 
not  allow  herself  to  become  the  instrument  of  Saul's  re- 
venge, and  in  the  perplexing  position  in  which  she  was 
placed,  she  took  for  the  time,  without  any  hesitation,  the  part 
of  her  husband.  This  only  exasperated  her  father  more ; 
and  as  in  all  the  matters  to  which  he  put  his  hand  David's 
wisdom  and  bravery  were  conspicuous,  and  his  name  be- 
came renowned,  Saul's  hatred  increased  yet  more  and  more, 
until  at  length  an  open  rupture  became  unavoidable. 

Here,  however,  it  will  be  convenient  to  pause,  that  we  may 
gather  up  some  lessons  for  our  modern  life  from  this  ancient 
chapter  of  sacred  history. 

In  the  first  place  we  may  see  the  evil  of  centring  our 
thoughts  and  plans  entirely  on  ourselves.  This  was  the  root 
of  Saul's  misery.  He  was  one  of  the  most  ardent  selfists 
that  ever  lived.  He  had  made  self  his  god.  He  looked 
only  and  always  at  his  own  interests.  "  How  will  this  affect 
me  ?"  was  his  constant  question  as  each  new  event  trans- 
pired ;  and  whensoever  he  imagined  that  he  was  to  be  in- 
jured by  any  other  man's  elevation  or  advancement,  he  was 
stirred  up  to  seek  his  ruin.  Thus  he  was  ever  moody  and 
unhappy.  He  hugged  himself  to  his  heart,  and  as  a  punish- 
ment God  left  him  to  himself,  and  no  companionship  could 


70  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

have  been  more  miserable.  But  this  was  not  the  worst. 
His  self-devotion  generated  envy,  hatred,  malice,  and  even 
murder  in  his  heart.  Because,  in  a  woman's  song,  David 
had  apparently  been  set  above  him,  he  is  filled  with  rage,  and 
schemes  for  the  destruction  of  one  who  had  in  former  days 
been  a  blessing  to  him ;  who  had  rid  him  of  one  of  the  fiercest 
of  his  foes ;  and  who  in  his  inmost  heart  was  loyal  to  him 
as  the  Lord's  anointed.  Behold  how  foul  a  progeny  may 
spring  from  one  parent  evil  passion  !  Men  are  apt  to  re- 
gard self-worship  as  a  little  thing,  and  in  its  lower  form  of 
self-conceit  they  think  that  it  is  worthy  only  to  be  laughed 
at ;  but  when  it  is  permitted  to  get  the  master}7,  it  may  work 
incalculable  mischief.  Who  can  tell  how  many  alienations, 
heart-burnings,  jealousies,  plottings  against  others'  welfare, 
and  even  murders,  grow  out  of  this  root?  The  man  who  is 
determined  to  be  first  can  brook  no  competitor,  and  is  led 
to  wish  all  rivals  out  of  his  way.  Let  us  be  on  our  guard  in 
this  respect,  and  cultivate  rather  the  noble  magnanimity  of 
Jonathan,  than  the  narrow  and  miserable  selfishness  of  Saul. 
How  different  (I  can  not  but  indulge  the  fancy)  Saul's  after- 
life might  have  been  had  he  only  fostered  David,  and  taken 
him  lovingly  to  his  heart !  Instead  of  the  ceaseless  hunting 
of  his  son-in-law,  which  from  this  point  darkens  his  name,  we 
might  then  have  read  of  their  happy  fellowship  and  mutual 
help.  He  might  not  have  been  able  to  retain  the  crown  in 
his  family,  but  he  might  have  enjoyed  peace  in  his  own  days, 
and  in  the  common  devotion  of  Jonathan  and  David  to  his 
interests  he  might  have  been  relieved  from  the  cares  and 
anxieties  of  his  office.  Thus  in  quiet  enjoyment  the  years 
might  have  rolled  over  him  at  Gibeah,  and  then  at  last,  in- 
stead of  setting  in  blood  behind  the  mountains  of  Gilboa,  his 
sun  might  have  gone  down  in  peace,  and  Jonathan  and  Da- 
vid might  have  lived  to  fill  in  the  beautiful  outline  of  mutual 
service  to  each  other,  and  common  devotion  to  their  country 


DAVID  AND  JONATHAN.  71 

and  their  God,  which  the  one  had  sketched  when  he  said 
unto  the  other, "  Thou  shalt  be  king  in  Israel,  and  I  shall 
be  next  unto  thee."  But  the  reality  was  just  the  reverse  of 
all  this.  The  absorbing  selfishness  of  Saul  embroiled  the 
land  in  civil  discord,  leaving  it  open  as  a  prey  to  its  ever- 
watchful  enemies.  It  imbittered  his  own  heart ;  it  made 
his  home  a  scene  of  strife  and  debate ;  it  chased  away  from 
him  one  of  his  most  faithful  servants  and  most  daring  cap- 
tains ;  and,  in  the  end,  it  sent  him  forth  in  isolation,  God- 
deserted,  to  meet  his  doom  on  the  field  of  battle  by  his  own 
hand.  Behold  the  retribution  !  The  man  who  schemed  and 
planned  so  constantly  for  the  pre-eminence  and  profit  of 
himself  perishes  at  last  by  his  own  sword.  But  is  it  not  al- 
ways so,  in  a  very  real  and  solemn  sense  ?  The  selfish  man 
is  ever  a  moral  suicide.  He  poisons  his  own  happiness ;  he 
kills  his  own  joy  ;  he  destroys  his  own  soul.  "  Whosoever 
will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it ;  and  whosoever  will  lose  his 
life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it."  Behold  here  the  far-reaching 
character  of  the  Saviour's  words.  He  that  is  determined  at 
all  hazards  to  seek  only  and  always  his  own  interests,  shall 
lose  that  to  which  he  is  so  devoted  ;  but  he  that,  for  the  Sav- 
iour's sake,  is  willing  to  lose  every  thing,  or  to  be  any  thing, 
shall  have  the  highest  degree  of  honor,  and  his  salvation  too. 
He  who  is  always  thinking  of  his  own  happiness  and  plan- 
ning for  it,  is  thereby  doing  his  best  to  drive  all  happiness 
from  him.  But  he  who,  out  of  regard  to  God  in  Christ, 
holds  himself  subordinate  to  the  Master,  and  rejoices  in  the 
prosperity  of  all  around  him,  thinking  nothing  of  himself, 
shall  have  the  highest  happiness  and  the  purest  joy. 

When,  in  the  midnight  hour,  you  lie  awake  and  wish  for 
sleep,  the  more  you  try  expedients  to  bring  it  to  your  pillow, 
the  more  it  seems  to  flee  from  your  pursuit.  But  when  you 
turn  your  mind  away  from  it  altogether,  and  think  on  some- 
thing quite  apart  from  yourself,  then  with  muffled  footstep  the 


72  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

angel  of  the  night  steals  into  your  chamber,  and  "steeps  your 
senses  in  forgetfulness."  And  so,  like  sleep,  happiness  and 
pre-eminence,  the  more  you  seek  them,  and  the  more  anx- 
ious you  are  to  obtain  them,  fly  the  farther  away  from  you ; 
but  when,  caring  nothing  for  them,  you  seek  the  good  of  oth- 
ers and  the  glory  of  God,  they  will  come  in  unobserved  and 
wreathe  you  with  their  laurels.  How  deeply  philosophical, 
therefore,  as  a  recipe  for  happiness,  not  to  put  it  in  a  stronger 
form,  is  the  apostolic  injunction,  "Look  not  every  man  upon 
his  own  things,  but  every  man  also  upon  the  things  of  others." 

But  the  Christian  has  a  higher  reason  for  obeying  that  com- 
mand than  any  to  which  I  have  yet  adverted.  In  Christ  he 
has  himself  an  interest,  and  property  in  every  other  Christian. 
Hence  he  may  reasonably  rejoice  in  the  eminence  of  every 
other  believer,  inasmuch  as  the  greatness  of  one  is  the  great- 
ness of  all.  "All  things  are  his,  whether  Paul,  or  Apollos,  or 
Cephas" — and  so  he  can  rejoice  in  the  distinctive  excel- 
lences of  each.  The  man  whose  heart  holds  only  himself  is 
not  a  Christian,  and  must  be  made  miserable  and  wicked  by 
his  devotion  to  himself;  but  he  who  has  the  Christian  public 
spirit  to  see  and  own  that  Christ  and  his  cause  are  infinitely 
greater  than  himself,  will  rejoice  in  the  appearance  of  every 
young  David  who  comes  forward  to  grapple  with  the  gigantic 
evils  of  his  time,  and  will  gladly  bid  him  welcome  to  his  heart 
and  home. 

We  may  see  here,  in  the  second  place,  that  the  servant  of 
God  may  expect  to  encounter  adversity  in  an  early  stage  of 
his  career.  David  was  not  to  be  cradled  for  his  future  work 
in  the  lap  of  luxury.  He  was  "  to  learn  in  suffering  what  he 
taught  in  song."  He  was  not  to  be  like  "  a  bird  on  a  bough, 
singing  forth  free  and  off-hand,  never  knowing  the  troubles 
of  other  men  ;"  but,  led  through  trials  of  his  own,  he  was 
stimulated  and  inspired  to  sing  of  them  in  strains  which,  be- 
cause they  came  "from  the  heart  of  man,  speak  to  all  men's 


DAVID  AND  JONATHAN.  73 

hearts."  Early,  therefore,  was  he  brought  into  trial;  and 
there  are  not  a  few  of  his  Psalms  which  seem  to  take  their 
tone  from  these  first  experiences  of  difficulty.  Take,  for  ex- 
ample, the  following :  "  In  the  time  of  trouble  he  shall  hide 
me  in  his  pavilion  :  in  the  secret  of  his  tabernacle  shall  he 
hide  me ;  he  shall  set  me  up  upon  a  rock."  "  Pull  me  out 
of  the  net  that  they  have  laid  privily  for  me  :  for  thou  art  my 
strength."  "  For  I  have  heard  the  slander  of  many  :  fear  was 
on  every  side  :  while  they  took  counsel  together  against  me, 
they  devised  to  take  away  my  life.  But  I  trusted  in  thee,  O 
Lord  :  I  said,  Thou  art  my  God.  My  times  are  in  thine  hand : 
deliver  me  from  the  hand  of  mine  enemies,  and  from  them  that 
persecute  me."*  From  all  this  let  us  learn  to  prepare  for  trial. 
It  may  come  in  unexpected  forms,  and  from  unexpected  quar- 
ters, but  let  us  be  always  ready  to  meet  it ;  for  he  who  is  the 
friend  of  God  must  lay  his  account  with  being  treated  as  an 
enemy  by  the  ungodly. 

Lastly,  we  may  learn  here  that  the  wisest  course  in  time 
of  danger  is  to  do  faithfully  our  daily  duty,  and  leave  our  case 
with  God.  David  went  about  his  work,  behaved  himself 
wisely,  and  let  God  take  care  of  him.  On  other  occasions, 
as  we  shall  see,  he  had  sometimes  recourse  to  questionable 
expedients,  and  sinful  practices,  for  self-protection  ;  but  in  the 
present  instance  he  walked  steadily  on  in  the  right  path,  and 
we  may  rely  that  he  verified  the  truth  of  the  words  which  he 
afterward  wrote  :  "  Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do  good  ;  so  shalt 
thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed.  Delight 
thyself  also  in  the  Lord  ;  and  he  shall  give  thee  the  desires 
of  thine  heart.  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord  ;  trust  also 
in  him  ;  and  he  shall  bring  it  to  pass.  And  he  shall  bring 
forth  thy  righteousness  as  the  light,  and  thy  judgment  as  the 
noonday."t  Let  us  follow  this  example  when  we  are  in  trou- 

*  Psa..xxvii.,5 ;  xxxi.,  4,  13-15.  t  Psa.  xxxvii.,  3-5. 

4 


74  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ble,  and  either  God  will  protect  us  from  our  enemies,  or  he 
will  enable  us  so  to  meet  their  enmity  as  to  glorify  him.  .  On 
no  account  let  us  compromise  ourselves  and  dishonor  him  by 
deserting  our  post,  or  employing  questionable  or  sinful  means 
for  preserving  ourselves.  Faith  is  not  real  within  us  unless 
it  develop  courage ;  and  he  who  sins  to  save  himself  from 
harm  is  lacking  in  boldness,  because  he  is  deficient  in  faith. 
No  matter  what  may  come  upon  you,  therefore,  do  what  you 
clearly  see  to  be  your  duty,  and  take  with  you  this  song  of 
Norman  M'Leod's  to  cheer  you  as  you  do  it : 

"  Courage,  brother  !  do  not  stumble, 

Though  thy  path  is  dark  as  night ; 
There's  a  star  to  guide  the  humble — 
Trust  in  God,  and  do  the  right ! 

"  Let  the  road  be  long  and  dreary, 

And  its  ending  out  of  sight, 
Foot  it  bravely,  never  weary — 
Trust  in  God,  and  do  the  right ! 

"  Perish  policy  and  cunning ; 

Perish  all  that  fears  the  light, 
Whether  losing,  whether  winning, 
Trust  in  God,  and  do  the  right ! 

"  Some  will  hate  thee,  some  will  love  thee, 

Some  will  flatter,  some  will  slight ; 
Cease  from  man  and  look  above  thee — 
Trust  in  God,  and  do  the  right ! 

"  Simple  rule  and  safest  guiding, 

Inward  peace  and  inward  light : 
Star  upon  our  path  abiding — 
Trust  in  God,  and  do  the  right  !"* 

*  "A  Life-Story,  with  Characters  and  Comments  ;"  a  Lecture  given  by 
the  late  Dr.  Norman  M'Leod,  in  Exeter  Hall,  London. 


V. 

THE  ESCAPE  FROM  GIBE  AH  TO  EAMAH. 
i  SAMUEL  xix. 

BAFFLED  in  his  schemes  for  bringing  about  indirectly 
the  death  of  David,  Saiil  aUength  gave  positive  orders 
to  Jonathan,  and  to  all  his  servants,  that  they  should  kill 
him.  But,  in  issuing  these  commands  to  Jonathan,  he  was 
unwittingly  taking  the  course  which  was  most  likely  to  de- 
feat the  end  he  had  in  view;  for,  in  a  way  alike  honorable 
to  his  head  and  heart,  that  noble  man  set  himself  at  once 
to  secure  David's  safety.  He  did  not,  indeed,  stand  forth  at 
the  moment  in  open  defense  of  his  friend.  He  knew  his 
father  too  well  to  think  of  adopting  such  a  course  as  that, 
while  David  was  unwarned ;  for,  in  one  of  those  sudden  out- 
bursts of  temper  to  which  he  was  so  liable,  Saul  might,  on 
the  instant  of  Jonathan's  interference,  have  sent  to  order 
David's  execution.  Accordingly,  without  speaking  to  any 
one  upon  the  subject,  Jonathan  went  privately  to  David,  and 
put  him  on  his  guard.  He  requested  him,  moreover,  to  hide 
in  a  certain  secret  place  in  the  field  well  known  to  both  of 
them,  and  promised  that  he  would  lead  his  father  out  into  the 
same  neighborhood  in  the  morning,  and  would  there  engage 
him  in  such  a  conversation  as  would  reveal  the  state  of  his 
heart  regarding  David.  This  arrangement  was  made,  as  it 
would  appear,  not  that  David  might  overhear  for  himself  the 
words  of  Saul,  but  that  he  might  be  close  at  hand,  so  that, 
if  the  worst  should  happen,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  finding 
him  and  sending  him  away  to  a  place  of  safety. 

True  to  his  word,  Jonathan  brought  Saul  to  the  appointed 


76  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

spot,  and  warmly  expostulated  with  him  on  David's  behalf. 
He  dwelt  on  his  utter  innocence  of  any  disaffection  toward 
the  king,  alluded  to  the  fact  that,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  he 
had  rid  the  country  of  one  of  its  most  formidable  enemies, 
and  referred  in  the  most  delicate  manner  to  the  joy  which 
had  thrilled  Saul's  own  heart  on  the  memorable  day  in  the 
Valley  of  Elah.  Nor  was  this  all ;  the  piety  of  the  chival- 
rous prince  comes  out  in  his  ascription  to  God  of  the  glory 
of  David's  exploit,  and  in  his  plain  and  thorough  condemna- 
tion of  the  sin  which  his  father  would  commit,  if  he  were  to 
shed  the  innocent  blood  of  the  young  hero,  to  whom  he  and 
the  people  owed  so  much. 

This  appeal  so  moved  the  heart  of  Saul  that  he  swore, 
apparently  too  with  all  sincerity,  that  David  should  not  be 
slain ;  and  so,  for  the  time,  David,  to  whom  Jonathan  at 
once  reported  the  substance  of  his  conversation  with  the 
king,  was  re-assured,  and  returned  to  his  place  at  court.  I 
do  not  know  many  instances  in  which  we  have  such  a  man- 
ifestation of  prudence  and  principle  combined,  as  we  have 
in  the  case  of  this  expostulation  of  Jonathan  with  his  father. 
Prudence  did  not  go  so  far  as  to  make  him  silent  about  the 
sin  which  Saul  was  purposing  to  commit ;  principle  was  not 
so  asserted  as  to  arouse  his  father's  indignation.  Neither 
was  weakened  by  the  other ;  but  both  were  so  admirably 
interblended  as  to  produce  the  result  on  which  his  heart 
was  set. 

Saul's  good-will  to  David,  however,  was  not  of  long  con- 
tinuance. His  envy  was  soon  renewed,  and  that  in  a  way 
which  recalls  the  occasion  of  his  first  estrangement  from 
the  shepherd  hero.  The  Philistines  had  resumed  hostilities 
against  the  Israelites ;  and  in  the  battles  which  ensued,  Da- 
vid again  so  distinguished  himself  as  to  awaken  the  enthusi- 
astic admiration  of  the  people.  This,  coming  to  the  ears  of 
Saul,  stirred  up  the  old  jealousy  of  his  disposition,  and  that, 


THE  ESCAPE  FROM  GIBEAH  TO  RAMAH.  77 

in  its  turn,  brought  on  a  new  attack  of  his  mysterious  mal- 
ady. Again  "the  evil  spirit  from  the  Lord  troubled  him." 
Sitting  in  his  palace  with  his  spear  in  his  hand,  he  was  a 
source  of  terror  to  all  around  him ;  but  David,  unhindered 
by  any  recollection  of  former  danger,  and  desirous  only  of 
soothing  the  monarch's  heart,  went  in  as  aforetime  and  play- 
ed the  harp  before  him.  This  time,  however,  music  was  of 
no  avail.  Nay,  it  seemed  only  to  rouse  him  to  more  vehe- 
ment ferocity,  for  he  attempted  to  smite  David  with  his  jave- 
lin ;  but,  dexterously  evading  the  blow,  he  slipped  out  of  the 
royal  presence,  leaving  the  spear  quivering  in  the  wall,  to  tell 
of  the  danger  from  which  he  had  escaped. 

This  incident  opened  David's  eyes  to  the  imminent  peril 
in  which  he  stood,  and  he  fled  to  his  own  house.  But  not 
even  there  was  he  safe  from  the  fury  of  his  infatuated  perse- 
cutor, for  Saul  sent  men  to  surround  his  dwelling  and  bring 
him  to  him  for  destruction.  This  design,  however,  was  de- 
feated by  Michal,  who  learning,  probably  from  some  inmate 
of  her  father's  house,  what  was  in  progress,  or,  perhaps, 
knowing  her  father  so  well  as  to  be  sure  of  what  he  would 
do  next,  insisted  on  sending  David  off  at  once.  She  let  him 
down  from  the  window  before  Saul's  messengers  had  arrived, 
and  then,  that  she  might  gain  time  for  him  before  they  start- 
ed after  him,  she  took  an  image  and  placed  it  in  bed,  cover- 
ing its  head  with  a  goats'-hair  veil,  and  lyingly  told  her  fa- 
ther's emissaries  that  David  was  sick.  They  returned  with 
this  report  to  the  king,  who  insisted  that  David  should  be 
brought  to  him  even  on  his  bed.  This,  of  course,  led  to  the 
discovery  of  the  trick  that  Michal  had  played  off  upon  them 
all ;  and  Saul,  turning  upon  her  with  the  disappointed  fury 
of  a  wild  beast  which  has  been  cheated  of  its  prey,  said  to 
her,  "Why  hast  thou  deceived  me  so,  and  sent  away  mine 
enemy,  that  he  is  escaped  ?"  But  her  only  reply  was  the  ut- 
terance of  a  lie,  which  came  new-minted  from  her  fertile 


78  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

brain :  "  He  said  unto  me,  Let  me  go ;  why  should  I  kill 
thee  ?" 

Now  out  of  this  narrative  a  curious  question  arises,  not 
only  affecting  the  character  of  Michal,  but  also  opening  up 
a  subject  which  is  closely  connected  with  the  domestic  relig- 
ion of  the  Jews.  What  was  this  image  that  Michal  employed 
to  personate  David  ?  and  how  are  we  to  account  for  the  pres- 
ence of  such  a  thing  in  David's  house  ?  The  word  rendered 
image  is  in  the  margin  given  in  its  Hebrew  form,  "teraphim  ;" 
and  perhaps  the  best  way  to  bring  the  whole  subject  before 
you  will  be  to  put  together  the  most  important  of  those  pas- 
sages in  which  it  occurs. 

The  first  mention  of  it  is  in  connection  with  the  record  of 
Jacob's  flight  from  the  house  of  Laban,  on  which  occasion 
we  are  told  that  Rachel  had  stolen  her  father's  images  (or 
teraphim),  and  concealed  them  in  her  tent  ;*  and  it  is  prob- 
able that  Jacob  referred  to  these  and  similar  objects  of  su- 
perstitious veneration,  when  he  ordered  all  in  his  encamp- 
ment to  put  away  the  strange  gods  that  were  among  them. 

The  next  time  the  word  occurs  is  in  the  very  singular  his- 
tory contained  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  chapters 
of  the  book  of  Judges,  which  tells  how  Michah,  an  Ephraim- 
ite,  set  up  in  his  house  a  kind  of  domestic  chapel,  in  which 
were  an  ephod  and  teraphim  ;  how  he  got  a  Levite  to  be  his 
priest ;  and  how  the  Danites  came  and  took  away  both  his 
priest  and  his  images  to  Dan,  where  they  set  them  up  for 
themselves,  and  where,  in  after-ages,  this  small  seed  of  su- 
perstitious error  developed  into  the  worship  of  the  golden 
calf  set  up  by  Jeroboam,  the  son  of  Nebat 

The  next  passage  in  which  the  word  occurs,  and  which 
clearly  shows  that  the  use  of  such  an  image  was  sinful,  is  in 
i  Sam.  xv.,  23,  where  Samuel,  in  his  denunciation  of  Saul, 

*  Gen.  xxi.,  25-35. 


THE  ESCAPE  FROM  GIBEAH  TO  RAMAH.  79 

says :  "  Rebellion  is  as  the  sin  of  witchcraft,  and  stubborn- 
ness is  as  iniquity  and  idolatry  "  (or,  as  the  term-is,  teraphim). 
The  next,  after  the  narrative  that  has  been  before  us,  is  in 
2  Kings  xxiii.,  24,  where  we  are  told  that "  the  workers  with 
familiar  spirits,  and  the  wizards,  and  the  images  (or  tera- 
phim), and  the  idols,  and  all  the  abominations  that  were  spied 
in  the  land  of  Judah  and  in  Jerusalem,  did  Josiah  put  away." 
The  next  is  in  the  prophecies  of  Hosea  iii.,  4,  where  it  is 
said,  "  The  children  of  Israel  shall  abide  many  days  without 
a  king,  and  without  a  prince,  and  without  a  sacrifice,  and  with- 
out an  image,  and  without  an  ephod,  and  without  teraphim." 
Some  have  supposed  that  here  we  have  a  kind  of  tacit  ap- 
proval of  teraphim ;  but  when  we  read  the  following  verse, 
we  discover  that  this  is  not  the  case,  for  it  is  there  said,  "Af- 
terward shall  the  children  of  Israel  return,"  intimating  that 
all  the  things  enumerated  belonged  to  a  superstitious  and 
unspiritual  worship.  The  last  reference  to  teraphim  which 
I  shall  specify  is  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  Zechariah,  second 
verse,  "  For  the  idols  [teraphim]  have  spoken  vanity,  and  the 
diviners  have  seen  a  lie,  and  have  told  false  dreams,"  etc. 
From  all  these  passages,  then,  it  appears  that  the  teraphim 
were  images  having  some  sort  of  resemblance  to  the  human 
form  ;  that  they  are  found  as  far  back  as  the  time  of  Jacob ; 
that  they  were  consulted  oracularly;  that  their  use  contin- 
ued down  to  the  days  of  Zechariah  at  least ;  and  that,  though 
the  more  lax  of  the  priests  and  rulers  might  tolerate  their 
existence,  and  even  themselves  employ  them,  the  prophets 
from  Samuel  downward  denounced  the  employment  of  them 
as  inconsistent  with  a  right  idea  of  the  spirituality  of  God. 
Observe,  however,  wherein  the  special  sin  of  the  use  of  these 
teraphim  consisted.  It  was  not  polytheism,  the  worship  of 
gods  many  and  lords  many ;  neither  was  it  the  worship  of 
a  god  other  than  the  true  God  ;  but  it  was  the  worship  of  the 
true  God,  under  and  through  the  visible  representation  of  an 


8o  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

image.  In  other  words,  it  was  not  a  violation  of  the  first 
commandment,  which  says, "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods 
before  me  ;"  but  it  was  a  violation  of  the  second,  which  for- 
bids the  use  of  any  image,  even  in  the  worship  of  the  true 
God.  The  distinction  may  seem  a  subtle  one,  but  all  the 
more  on  that  account  it  needs  to  be  accurately  made,  espe- 
cially as  it  is  one  of  the  main  points  of  difference  between 
the  Protestant  and  the  Romanist.  Both  of  these  alike  pro- 
fess to  worship  the  one  God — Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost ; 
but  the  Protestant  will  have  no  visible  teraphim,  while  the 
Romanist  employs  them  without  scruple.  Now,  as  the  use 
of  such  things  was  forbidden,  even  under  the  extremely  rit- 
ualistic system  of  Moses,  it  must  be  still  more  inconsistent 
with  the  simplicity  and  spirituality  of  Gospel  worship.  The 
employment  of  such  images  not  only  tends  to  idolatry,  but, 
indeed,  partakes  of  it,  and  is  altogether  contrary  to  the  dic- 
tum of  our  Divine  Master :  "  God  is  a  spirit,  and  they  that 
worship  him  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

But  if  this  be  so,  if  even  in  the  Old  Testament  times  the 
employment  of  such  factitious  aids  to  devotion  was  forbid- 
den, how  comes  it  that  we  have  here  teraphim  in  David's 
house  ?  Perhaps  the  history  of  Rachel  and  Jacob  may  fur- 
nish the  explanation.  Jacob  was  entirely  ignorant  that  his 
wife  had  carried  away  Laban's  teraphim  ;  and  David  here 
may  have  been  equally  innocent  of  all  complicity  in  this 
kind  of  worship.  In  our  domestic  arrangements  it  would 
not  be  possible,  perhaps,  for  a  wife  to  indulge  in  such  a 
mode  of  religious  service  without  the  cognizance  of  her  hus- 
band, but  it  might  be  quite  easily  managed  in  an  Eastern 
dwelling.  Now,  if  this  explanation  be  accepted,  it  will  help 
to  account  for  the  weakness  which  Michal  here  and  at  other 
times  in  her  history  displayed.  She  was  not  like  David  in 
the  highest  and  most  momentous  things.  She  loved  him, 
indeed,  and,  as  we  see,  was  eager  to  save  his  life ;  but  her 


THE  ESCAPE  FROM  GIBEAH  TO  RAMAH.  81 

love  for  him  was  earthly  and  selfish.  She  was  captivated 
by  the  brave  and  beautiful  young  warrior,  but  she  had  no 
right  appreciation  of  the  best  parts  of  David's  character. 
She  had  no  oneness  with  him  in  his  truest  and  noblest  self. 
Hence  the  deceitfulness  which  she  manifested  in  the  plan 
she  took  to  aid  his  escape  and  to  expedite  his  flight ;  hence 
also,  at  a  later  day,  her  easy  acquiescence  in  her  father's  ar- 
rangement, which,  in  violation  of  the  sanctity  of  marriage, 
took  her  from  David  and  gave  her  to  another.  No  doubt 
she  loved  David ;  indeed,  as  one  has  said,  her  affection  for 
him  had  "started  forth  with  what  we  might  almost  deem 
an  unmaidenly  promptness."  But  her  affection  could  not 
stand  the  strain  of  trial.  It  was  not  like  that  of  Jonathan, 
because  it  had  not,  like  Jonathan's,  its  root  in  devotion  to 
the  Lord.  She  could  not  and  did  not  follow  her  husband 
through  persecution  and  exile  and  danger,  because  she  was 
not  one  with  him  in  God.  She  could  tell  lies  for  David, 
but  she  had  not  the  courage  and  the  faith  to  go  with  him 
into  suffering,  or  to  tell  the  truth  for  him.  So  long  as  for- 
tune favored  him,  she  was  found  beside  him,  helping  him, 
too,  in  her  own  way ;  but  when  he  went  forth  a  fugitive,  to 
be  hunted  like  a  partridge  upon  the  mountains,  she  did  not 
say  to  him,  "  Whither  thou  goest  I.  will  go,  and  where  thou 
lodgest  I  will  lodge,"  for  she  could  not  say,  "  Thy  God  shall 
be  my  God."  Want  of  sympathy  in  spiritual  matters  be- 
tween husband  and  wife  is  always  a  painful  thing,  and  fre- 
quently a  perilous.  The  noblest  marriage  is  not  that  which 
secures  a  great  alliance,  or  a  fashionable  equipage,  or  an  am- 
ple fortune,  but  that  which  is  made  "  in  the  Lord." 

But  we  must  resume  the  narrative.  To  this  episode  in 
David's  life  the  59th  Psalm,  as  we  learn  from  its  title,  refers ; 
and  it  is  interesting  to  note,  not  only  the  strength  of  faith 
which  it  evinces,  but  also  the  plea  by  which,  in  it,  he  en- 
forces his  petition  for  deliverance.  Again  and  again  he 

4* 


82  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

calls  God  his  "  defense  "  and  "  shield,"  and  asks  that  the 
machinations  of  his  enemies  may  be  confounded,  so  that 
"  men  may  know  that  God  ruleth  in  Jacob,  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth."  Very  graphically,  also,  does  he  describe  the 
movements  of  Saul's  messengers,  comparing  them  as,  under 
the  cloud  of  darkness,  they  went  round  and  round  his  dwell- 
ing, to  the  dogs,  which,  every  Oriental  traveler  tells  us,  are 
still  the  nuisance  and  the  danger  of  all  Eastern  cities  after 
night-fall.  And  then,  at  the  close  of  the  ode,  already  antici- 
pating his  escape,  he  gives  expression  to  joyful  assurance  in 
these  beautiful  words  :  "  I  will  sing  of  thy  power ;  yea,  I  will 
sing  aloud  of  thy  mercy  in  the  morning :  for  thou  hast  been 
my  defense  and  refuge  in  the  day  of  my  trouble.  Unto  thee, 
O  my  strength,  will  I  sing ;  for  God  is  my  defense,  and  the 
God  of  my  mercy." 

Leaving  Gibeah,  David  made  his  way  to  Ramah,  that  he 
might  refresh  his  soul  by  converse  with  Samuel ;  but  the 
prophet,  thinking,  perhaps,  that  his  house  would  be  no  safe 
retreat  for  one  who  was  fleeing  from  Saul,  took  him  with  him 
to  Naioth  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  where  there  was 
a  school  of  the  prophets,  and  where  Saul  would  probably  be 
restrained  from  laying  hands  upon  the  fugitive.  This  school 
had,  in  all  likelihood,  been  instituted  by  Samuel  himself,  for 
the  purpose  of  training  young  men  for  becoming  the  instruct- 
ors of  the  nation,  and  perhaps,  also,  under  the  idea  that  out 
of  the  bands  thus  educated  there  might,  from  time  to  time, 
arise  some  whom  God  might  commission  as  his  specially- 
inspired  messengers  to  his  people.  Similar  establishments 
we  find  at  a  later  date  in  sacred  history,  at  Bethel  and  Gil- 
gal  ;  and  it  is  supposed  that  in  connection  with  the  existence 
of  such  seminaries  there  was  maintained,  from  the  days  of 
Samuel  till  the  close  of  the  Old  Testament  canon,  a  contin- 
uous succession  of  prophets  in  the  land.  Not,  indeed,  that 
God  confined  himself  to  those  who  were  trained  in  these 


THE  ESCAPE  PROM  GIBEAH  TO  RAMAH.  83 

schools.  When  he  had  a  word  to  say  to  the  people,  or  a 
\vork  to  do  among  them,  he  was  never  circumscribed  in  the 
area  from  which  he  took  his  instruments.  But  that  he  usu- 
ally employed  as  his  special  messengers  those  who  were  ed- 
ucated in  these  schools  may,  I  think,  be  inferred  from  the 
words  of  Amos,  who  speaks  of  it  as  a  thing  unusual  and 
strange,  that  he  was  no  prophet,  nor  the  son  of  a  prophet, 
but  a  plain  herdman  of  Tekoah,  taken  from  following  the 
flock.  These  ancient  colleges  were  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  a  recognized  prophet,  such  as  Samuel  or  Elisha, 
who  was  called  the  father,  while  the  students  were  styled 
his  children.  They  were  places  of  study  and  devotion,  yet 
they  were  not  monasteries,  as  we  now  understand  that  word, 
seeing  that  the  youths  were  allowed  to  marry.  They  seem 
to  me  to  have  resembled  rather  the  seminary  of  the  ancient 
Culdee  Church,  the  ruins  of  which  still  awaken  the  interest 
of  the  traveler  in  the  island  of  lona,  and  which  was  not  only 
a  place  of  retreat  and  study,  but  also  a  great  missionary  cen- 
tre, from  which  laborers  went  forth  in  every  direction  to  do 
the  work  of  God.  The  chief  subject  which  engaged  the  at- 
tention of  the  students  was  the  law  of  Moses  and  its  inter- 
pretation, but  along  with  that,  though  subsidiary  to  it,  they 
practiced  music  and  sacred  poetry.  In  such  a  place,  there- 
fore, David  would  find  himself  in  congenial  society,  and  the 
influence  of  his  sojourn  there  must  have  been  both  sooth- 
ing and  salutary  to  his  spirit.  We  do  not  know  that  he 
had  ever  met  Samuel  since  the  day  when  he  was  anoint- 
ed at  Bethlehem,  and  we  may  be  sure  that  the  venerable 
prophet,  while  comforting  him  under  his  present  trials,  would 
give  him  many  valuable  instructions  as  to  the  principles 
which  should  regulate  his  conduct  when  he  should  come 
into  the  kingdom.  As  he  had  communed  with  Saul  on  the 
house-top  at  the  period  of  his  anointing,  so  now  again  he 
would  enter  with  David  into  an  ample  explanation  of  the 


84  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

terms  on  which  the  sceptre  was  given  to  him — an  explana- 
tion made  all  the  more  sadly  clear  by  allusion  to  the  mis- 
takes which  Saul  had  committed,  and  the  terrible  conse- 
quences to  which  these  had  led.  In  connection  with  this 
matter,  too,  we  may  well  suppose  that  Samuel  would  speak 
of  his  own  wide  experience  as  a  magistrate,  giving  him  max- 
ims and  advice  which  would  never  be  forgotten ;  while,  con- 
tinually, the  good  old  man  would  commend  him  to  the  keep- 
ing of  that  God  who,  through  his  own  long  and  active  life, 
had  sustained  and  protected  him. 

Besides  this  intercourse  with  Samuel,  the  pursuits  of  the 
sons  of  the  prophets,  alike  in  their  practice  of  music  and  po- 
etry, and  in  the  study  of  the  Word  of  God,  were  just  such  as 
David  would  most  thoroughly  enjoy,  and  as  would  most  ma- 
terially tend  to  soothe  his  spirit  after  the  trials  through 
which  he  had  just  passed,  and  brace  it  for  the  difficulties 
which,  lay  before  him.  I  do  not  presume  to  fix  either  the 
date  or  the  authorship  of  all  the  productions,  which  have 
been  brought  together  into  the  one  book  of  the  Psalms,  but 
if  the  iigth  Psalm  came  from  the  pen  of  David,  as  multi- 
tudes believe,  then  I  do  not  wonder  that  many  have  con- 
nected its  composition,  with  his  residence  in  the  school  of 
the  prophets  at  Naioth.  The  calm  in  which  he  then  found 
himself,  and  the  studies  which  he  then  prosecuted,  might 
well  have  led  his  musings  in  the  direction  of  that  alphabetic 
ode,  while  there  are  in  it  not  a  few  expressions  which,  to 
say  the  least,  may  have  particular  reference  to  the  clangers 
out  of  which  he  had  so  recently  escaped,  and  by  which  he 
was  still  threatened.  Such,  for  example,  are  the  following: 
"Princes  also  did  sit  and  speak  against  me :  but  thy  servant 
did  meditate  in  thy  statutes."  "  The  proud  have  had  me  in 
derision  :  yet  have  I  not  declined  from  thy  law."  "Trouble 
and  anguish  have  taken  hold  on  me:  yet  thy  commandments 
are  my  delights."  Then,  in  regard  to  his  present  enjoyment,- 


THE  ESCAPE  FROM  GIBEAH  TO  RAMAH.  85 

we  may  quote  these  lines  :  "  O  how  love  I  thy  law !  it  is  my 
meditation  all  the  day."  "  The  law  of  thy  mouth  is  better 
unto  me  than  thousands  of  gold  or  silver;"  and  in  refer- 
ence to  God's  dealings  with  him,  he  says,  "  I  know,  O  Lord, 
that  thy  judgments  are  right,  and  that  thou  in  faithfulness 
hast  afflicted  me."  "  It  is  good  for  me  that  I  have  been  af- 
flicted ;  that  I  might  learn  thy  statutes."  But  why  need  I 
enlarge  here  ?  I  might  well  quote  the  entire  Psalm,  per- 
vaded as  it  is  with  love  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  confidence 
in  God  himself.  Let  me  commend  it  to  your  prayerful  study, 
as  a  perfect  store-house  of  suggestive  thoughts  and  devout 
aspirations.  In  allusion  to  its  peculiarity  of  structure,  in 
accordance  with  which  it  is  divided  into  as  many  parts  as 
there  are  letters  in  the  Hebrew  alphabet,  and  each  verse  of 
every  part  begins,  in  the  Hebrew,  with  the  letter  which  marks 
the  part  to  which  it  belongs,  Bishop  Cowper  has  called  it 
"  a  holy  alphabet,  so  plain  that  children  may  understand  it, 
and  so  rich  and  instructive  that  the  wisest  and  most  expe- 
rienced may  learn  something  from  it."*  This  witness  is 
true,  and  if  only  each  day  of  our  lives  we  were  to  fix  in  our 
memories  one  verse  of  this  admirable  production,  and  make 
it  the  subject  of  our  meditation  in  our  intervals  of  rest,  we 
should  grow  in  every  thing  that  adorns  the  Christian  char- 
acter, and  become  both  more  devout  in  the  closet,  and  more 
holy  in  the  transaction  of  our  daily  business. 

But  not  even  the  sanctity  that  surrounded  the  residence 
of  the  sons  of  the  prophets  could  shield  David  from  the  ven- 
geance of  Saul,  for  so  soon  as  he  discovered  where  his  son- 
in-law  had  found  an  asylum,  the  king  sent  messengers  to  ap- 
prehend him.  By  the  mysterious  power  of  God's  Holy  Spir- 
it, however,  when  these  men  came  to  Naioth,  and  saw  the 
sons  of  the  prophets  at  their  daily  service,  they  came  under 

*  Quoted  by  Plumer,  in  "  Studies  in  the  Book  of  Psalms,"  p.  1018. 


86  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

a  peculiar  influence,  which  impelled  them  to  do  as  the  stu- 
dents did.  This  was  told  to  the  king,  who  sent  others  in 
their  stead,  and  to  them  it  happened  in  like  manner.  The 
same  thing  occurred  with  a  third  company  of  messengers ; 
and  at  length,  instead  of  learning  from  all  this  that  God  had 
David  under  his  special  protection,  and  giving  up  his  mad 
intent,  Saul  became  so  exasperated  that  he  set  out  himself 
for  Naioth,  determined  to  be  the  executioner  of  his  own 
commands.  But  lo !  as  he  drew  near  the  village,  even  be- 
fore he  came  into  the  company  of  the  prophets,  he  was  him- 
self laid  hold  of  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  as  in  the  early 
days  of  his  reign  he  prophesied — yea,  he  was  filled  with  the 
Spirit  so  that  he  stripped  off  his  outer  garments,  and  lay 
on  the  ground,  as  in  a  trance,  until  the  following  morning. 
Thus,  again,  the  proverb  which  had  obtained  currency  at  the 
beginning  of  his  reign  was  revived,  and  men  said  once  more, 
"Is  Saul  also  among  the  prophets?"  Thus,  also,  by  the  re- 
straining might  of  God's  Spirit,  he  was  again  kept  from  lay- 
ing violent  hands  upon  David. 

In  reviewing  the  narrative  over  which  we  have  come,  we 
are  impressed  with  the  proof,  which  is  here  furnished,  of  the 
diversified  resources,  which  Jehovah  has  at  command  for  the 
protection  of  his  people.  Again  and  again  Saul  attempts 
to  take  David's  life,  but  always  without  success ;  and  each 
time  the  means  by  which  David  was  delivered  are  different. 
At  first  he  is  defended  by  God's  blessing  on  his  own  valor 
against  the  Philistines ;  then  he  is  indebted  for  his  safety  to 
the  mediation  of  Jonathan  ;  then  to  the  agency  of  Michal ; 
and  finally  to  the  miraculous  work  of  God's  own  Holy  Spir- 
it. In  the  subsequent  portion  of  the  history,  we  shall  find 
that  the  same  principle  holds,  and  that  in  each  new  peril 
he  is  preserved  by  some  new  instrumentality.  When  God 
purposes  to  protect  a  man,  he  is  at  no  loss  for  the  means  of 
carrying  out  his  design.  He  may  find  them  in  what  seems 


THE  ESCAPE  FROM  GIBEAH  TO  RAMAH.  87 

to  us  mortals  the  most  unexpected  places,  and  they  may 
work  in  what  appears  to  us  to  be  a  very  strange — it  may  be, 
also,  a  very  sinful  manner  ;  yet  the  purpose  is  accomplished, 
while  yet  the  liberty  of  the  different  agents  is  not  infringed. 
David  was  at  this  time,  in  a  very  peculiar  sense,  the  ward  of 
God's  providence,  and  he  was  kept  in  safety.  By  the  ex- 
periences through  which  he  had  passed,  he  was  able  after- 
ward to  sing,  "  The  angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth  round  about 
them  that  fear  him,  and  delivereth  them  ;"  and  from  the  oc- 
currences which  we  have  been  considering,  we  may  learn 
that  God  will  keep  us  alive,  so  long  as  we  are  needed  in  his 
service.  "A  man  is  immortal  till  his  work  be  done."  If  in 
the  purpose  of  God  there  is  still  something  to  be  accom- 
plished by  any  one,  he  bears  a  charmed  life  until  that  be  ful- 
filled. This,  of  course,  must  not  be  understood  as  implying 
that  we  should  use  no  means  to  insure  our  own  safety,  far 
less  that  we  should  recklessly  and  wantonly  rush  into  danger ; 
but  it  does  imply,  that  when  we  have  taken  all  proper  pre- 
cautions, we  are  to  trust  in  God,  and  wait  the  issue.  Either 
they  will  be  fruitless,  and  then  there  will  be  the  conscious- 
ness that  the  end  is  come,  and  that  our  reward  is  near ;  or 
they  will  be  successful,  and  anew  the  glorious  truth  shall 
be  demonstrated  to  every  beholder,  that  man's  extremity  is 
God's  opportunity.  The  good  man  should  never  despair,  for 
either  God  will  glorify  himself  in  his  protection,  or  he  will 
glorify  God  in  suffering  for  his  name's  sake ;  and  in  either 
case  the  issue  shall  be  well.  "God's  providence  is  his  in- 
heritance." 

But  our  review  leads  us  to  remark  further,  on  the  foolish 
and  unbelieving  deceit  which  Michal  practiced  for  David's 
deliverance.  It  was  unbelieving,  for  it  was  equivalent  to  an 
assertion  on  her  part  that  God  could  not  save  her  husband 
except  by  her  sin  ;  it  was  foolish,  for,  after  all,  it  did  not  ac- 
complish very  much  for  David,  and  only  exasperated  Saul. 


88  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Having  told  one  lie,  she  needed  to  give  that  probability,  by 
a  clumsy  piece  of  acting;  and  then  she  had  to  sustain  the 
whole  by  another  falsehood,  which  contained  in  it  such  a  re- 
flection on  her  husband's  character,  as  no  true-hearted  wife 
would  have  allowed  herself  to  make,  even  in  jest.  I  can  not 
but  think  that  Michal's  deception  here,  taken  in  connection 
with  her  possession  of  the  image,  as  I  suppose,  in  a  clandes- 
tine way,  is  an  indication  of  a  low  moral  tone  ;  and  while  she 
is  certainly  to  be  commended  for  the  promptitude  with  which 
she  urged  David  to  flee,  we  must  condemn  her  for  the  false- 
hood which  she  told,  and  the  deceit  which  she  practiced  in 
connection  with  his  flight.  Some,  indeed,  may  say  that  she 
did  no  more  than  Rahab  did  for  the  spies  at  Jericho ;  and 
that  since  Rahab's  faith  is  -praised,  we  are  surely  too  severe 
in  condemning  Michal.  But  then  we  must  bear  in  mind  that 
Rahab  was  a  heathen,  and  that  her  mode  of  life  was  such  as 
was  fitted  only  to  harden  her  in  heathenism  and  sin  ;  while 
Michal  was  brought  up  under  all  the  privileges  of  the  Mo- 
saic law.  What  Rahab  did  in  sending  forth  the  spies  in 
peace,  betokened  that  she  had  faith ;  what  she  did  in  tell- 
ing a  lie  for  their  sakes,  showed  how  weak  her  fajth  was, 
after  all ;  but  that  she  had  any  faith  whatever  was  a  marvel- 
ous thing,  considering  her  position.  With  Michal,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  was  different,  and  she  must  be  judged  by  a 
different  standard.  To  borrow  an  illustration  from  the  his- 
tory, on  a  part  of  which  we  are  engaged — when  the  Philis- 
tines handled  the  sacred  ark  of  the  covenant,  no  death  came 
to  them,  for  they  knew  no  better ;  but  when  the  men  of  Beth- 
shemish  looked  into  it,  they  were  smitten  down  by  the  out- 
flashing  of  the  sword  of  Jehovah — even  as  Uzzah  was  at 
a  later  date ;  for  they  ought  to  have  known  its  sanctity.* 
And  so  there  might  be,  comparatively  speaking,  little  mor- 

*  i  Sam.  vi.,  10-21. 


THE  ESCAPE  FROM  GIBEAH  TO  RAMAH.  89 

al  guilt  in  the  doing  by  a  heathen  of  a  thing  which,  -when 
done  by  a  Jewess,  was  worthy  of  severe  condemnation.  I 
know,  indeed,  that  we  must  not  judge  Michal  by  the  Gospel 
standard.  Still,  even  in  the  light  of  the  law  of  Moses,  she 
was  to  blame  for  her  deceit,  and  to  us  who  have  the  cross  of 
Christ  before  us,  and  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  sounding  in 
our  ears,  nothing  can  be  more  evident  than  that  it  is  never 
necessary  to  commit  sin.  It  is  always  wrong  to  do  wrong. 
No  circumstances  or  motives,  no  extenuations  or  palliations, 
can  ever  change  wrong  into  right.  There  is  no  Darwinian- 
ism  in  morals.  There  is  here  no  transmutation  possible. 
Wrong  is  wrong,  and  right  is  right,  for  evermore.  And  if, 
in  criticising  a  character  in  real  history  it  is  warrantable  to 
refer  to  the  creations  of  the  novelist,  I  would  place  side  by 
side  with  Michal  here,  the  Jeanie  Deans  of  Walter  Scott,  that 
you  may  see  the  contrast  between  cunning  unscrupulousness 
and  inflexible  integrity.  I  reckon  that  delineation,  founded 
as  it  is  in  its  main  outlines  on  fact,  as  one  of  the  noblest  that 
ever  came  from  the  mind  of  its  author ;  and  in  the  honor 
which  we  are  constrained  to  pay  to  her,  who  would  not  tell  a 
falsehood  to  save  her  sister's  life,  though  she  walked  hundreds 
of  miles  afterward  to  deliver  her  from  the  gallows,  you  may 
see,  also,  how  much  we  blame  Michal  for  her  unbelieving  de- 
ceit.* Be  it  ours,  my  brethren,  to  stand  unflinchingly  by  the 
right,  for  the  sake  of  Him  who  is  himself  the  right.  Every 
deceit  is  a  dishonor  to  him,  as  well  as  to  ourselves,  and  death 
is  preferable  to  such  dishonor. 

*  The  parallel  here  is  scarcely  perfect,  since  the  heroine  of  the  tale  was 
put  upon  her  oath  in  a  court  of  justice,  while  Michal  was  questioned  only 
in  the  ordinary  manner.  The  casuistry  of  this  and  similar  cases  is  can- 
vassed in  a  note  to  Froude's  "  History  of  England,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  65.  That 
author  admits  that  he  does  not  see  his  way  to  a  conclusion  as  to  the  de- 
gree of  guilt  attaching  to  such  a  kind  of  unveracity  as  this  ;  but  he  fails  to 
show,  if  falsehood  be  ever  venial,  within  what  limits  it  is  to  be  restrained. 


90  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Again :  in  reviewing  this  chapter,  we  are  impressed  with 
the  gracious  long-suffering  of  God  with  sinners.  When  Saul 
.was  laid  hold  of  by  God's  Spirit,  the  desire  of  the  Lord  was 
not  merely  to  restrain  him  from  injuring  David,  but  also  to 
visit  him  again  with  that  particular  blessing  which  he  had 
received  at  the  beginning  of  his  reign.  It  was  a  gracious,  as 
well  as  a  miraculous,  visitation  to  him.  Anew  the  Holy  Ghost 
was  striving  within  him.  Once  again  he  had  the  opportu- 
nity of  turning  to  God.  His  heart  was  moved.  He  was  al- 
most persuaded ;  the  tide  was  at  the  flood  again  with  him, 
and  if  he  had  taken  it,  he  might  have  finished  his  life  in  an- 
other manner;  but  no:  he  allowed  it  to  ebb,  and  it  never 
flowed  again !  Yet  see  the  goodness  of  God  to  him  in  giv- 
ing him.  this  new  opportunity,  while,  at  the  same  time,  you 
observe  the  danger  in  which  those  are  placed  who  let  such 
opportunities  go  unimproved. 

There  may  be  some  within  the  sound  of  my  voice  to-night 
whose  experience  is  akin  to  Saul's.  They,  too,  can  look  back 
upon  a  former  time — some  era  of  great  revival,  perhaps — 
when  they  were  drawn  to  the  truth,  and  took  a  prominent 
place  in  the  Church  and  its  services ;  but  a  sad  declension 
came,  and  for  many  years  they  had  no  care  for  any  thing 
spiritual  or  eternal.  They  were  devoted  to  ease  and  self-in- 
dulgence, making  enjoyment  their  constant  idol.  But  now, 
again,  in  their  riper  years,  with  mayhap  the  hoary  locks  of 
age  beginning  to  appear  upon  them,  their  old  feelings  are 
coming  back  upon  them.  They  are  attracted  as  of  yore  to 
God's  house ;  they  enjoy  his  ordinances ;  they  are  moved 
many  times  to  tears  by  the  preaching  of  his  Word  ;  they  are 
disposed  to  serious  devoutness  in  God's  worship,  and  to  ear- 
nest holiness,  in  the  family,  and  in  the  world.  But  as  yet  they 
have  gone  no  farther.  Oh,  let  me  beseech  them  to  follow 
all  this  up  by  taking  the  one  decisive  step  of  giving  them- 
selves unreservedly  and  at  once  to  the  Lord,  lest,  when  the 


THE  ESCAPE  FROM  GIBEAH  TO  RAMAH.  91 

fervor  of  their  present  enthusiasm  shall  have  gone,  they  may 
be  left  farther  from  God  than  they  ever  were  before.  Not 
always  will  God  forbear  with  the  vacillations  of  a  changeful 
heart ;  not  always  will  his  Spirit  strive  with  men.  Oh !  drive 
him  not  away  by  your  carelessness  and  self-will,  but  open 
your  soul  to  his  influences,  and  yield  yourself  up  to  his  loving 
service.  Ere  this  spring-tide  of  opportunity  falls,  it  may  be 
never  to  rise  again,  let  it  carry  you  on  its  bosom  into  the  har- 
bor of  salvation. 

Finally,  mark  here,  how  men  who  are  themselves  godless 
observe  and  criticise  the  characters  of  those  who  join  them- 
selves with  the  people  of  God.  "  Is  Saul  also  among  the 
prophets  ?"  said  the  wits  of  Israel,  when  they  heard  of  what 
occurred  at  Naioth.  Now  this  might  have  been  as  hon- 
orable to  Saul,  as  it  came  to  be  dishonorable  to  him,  if 
only  he  had  in  his  after  history  proved  himself  sincerely 
resolved  to  do  the  will  of  God.  Thus,  when  we  say  of 
another  Saul,  "  Is  Paul  also  among  the  apostles  ?"  we  mean 
no  reproach  to  the  man  of  Tarsus,  but  only  desire  thereby 
to  magnify  the  riches  of  divine  grace,  which  transformed 
him  from  a  persecutor  of  the  Church  into  a  preacher  of  the 
Gospel;  and  had  this  occasion  been  the  turning-point  in 
the  history  of  the  King  of  Israel,  as  the  prostration  at  Da- 
mascus was  the  crisis  in  the  life  of  the  Christian  apostle, 
the  proverb  before  us  would  have  been  one  of  honor,  and 
not  of  disgrace.  Unhappily,  however,  by  his  after  conduct 
Saul  gave  occasion  to  men  to  speak  of  his  insincerity  and 
wickedness,  and  so,  "  Saul  among  the  prophets"  is,  even  yet, 
jeeringly  said  by  us,  when  we  mean  to  indicate  that  a  god- 
less, Christless  man  has  found  his  way  into  the  member- 
ship or  ministry  of  the  Church.  Now  this  proverb,  thus 
understood,  is  two-edged.  It  speaks  to  those  who  are  as 
yet  outside  of  the  Church,  and  says  to  them,  "  If  you  are 
not  really  and  truly  Christ's ;  if  you  do  not  love  the  Lord 


92  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

and  desire  to  serve  him,  then  do  not  seek  to  enter  the 
Church."  But  it  speaks  also  to  those  who  are  within,  and 
says  to  them,  "  If  in  your  hearts  you  are  conscious  that  you 
are  none  of  Christ's,  and  if  in  your  conduct  you  are  dishon- 
oring his  name,  then  go  out  from  the  Church.  It  is  not  for 
such  as  you  ;  and  your  continuance  in  it  will  only  make  men 
say, '  Is  Saul  also  among  the  prophets  ?'  They  who  have 
named  the  name  of  Christ  should  depart  from  iniquity." 
The  reputation  of  Christ,  in  the  world  of  to-day,  is  very  much 
in  the  hands  of  those  who  profess  to  be  his  followers.  Let 
us  see  to  it,  that,  so  far  from  allowing  it  to  suffer  from  our 
conduct,  we  add  new  adornment  to  his  Gospel  by  the  saint- 
liness  of  our  lives,  and  compel  men  to  take  knowledge  of  us 
that  we  have  been  with  Jesus. 


VI. 

THE  VALLEY  OF  DECEIT. 
i  SAMUEL  xx.-xxii. 

TAKING  advantage  of  the  miraculous  restraint  which 
was  put  upon  Saul  at  Naioth,  David  left  the  school  of 
the  prophets,  and  hasted  back  to  Gibeah. 

Here,  on  the  return  of  the  monarch,  it  would  seem  that, 
under  the  influence  of  his  recent  experiences,  his  heart  was 
somewhat  softened  toward  his  son-in-law ;  for  Jonathan,  in 
the  interesting  interview  which  is  described  so  fully  in  the 
twentieth  chapter  of  i  Samuel,  speaks  at  first  with  the  great- 
est confidence  of  David's  safety ;  and  David  himself,  even  in 
his  distress,  takes  it  for  granted  that  his  presence  would  be 
expected  at  the  customary  banquet  on  new-moon.  But  he 
had  seen  so  many  vacillations  in  Saul,  that  he  was  not  dis- 
posed to  build  much  upon  his  present  gracious  mood.  Nay, 
rather,  from  brooding  morbidly  over  Saul's  treatment  of  him, 
to  the  entire  exclusion  from  his  mind  of  God's  constant  care 
over  him,  he  fell  into  despair,  and  ran  into  a  course  of  reck- 
less deceit  which  brought  the  most  fearful  consequences  in 
its  train. 

It  may  appear  strange,  that  all  this  should  have  happened 
immediately  after  his  pleasant  and  profitable  sojourn  with 
Samuel,  at  the  school  of  the  prophets.  But  perhaps  the  very 
contrast  between  his  happiness  at  Naioth,  and  his  continual 
suspense  at  Gibeah,  where  he  felt  himself  to  be  like  one 
standing  on  the  very  edge  of  an  active  volcano,  may  help  to 
account  for  his  depression.  In  any  case,  it  is  by  no  means 
an  uncommon  experience,  that  times  of  great  spiritual  ele-x 


94  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

vation  are  followed  by  periods  of  deep  dejection.  Every 
height  has  its  hollow ;  and  as  Peter  went  from  the  first 
Lord's  Supper  to  his  denial  of  the  Master,  David  went  from 
Naioth  to  Nob,  and  from  Nob  to  Gath.  It  is  a  suggestive 
incident,  bidding  us  be  always  on  our  guard  against  tempta- 
tion, and  then,  most  of  all,  when  we  have  been  enjoying  the 
most  exalted  privileges. 

In  his  distress  David  sought  for  Jonathan,  and  poured  his 
complaint  into  the  ear  of  his  friend,  telling  him  that  Saul 
was  seeking  his  life,  with  such  sleepless  assiduity,  "that  there 
was  but  a  step  between  him  and  death."  The  king's  son 
was  taken  by  surprise,  and  expressed  his  belief  that  David 
was  allowing  his  fear  to  overmaster,  not  his  faith  only,  but 
his  judgment  also.  Still,  seeing  how  seriously  his  compan- 
ion was  taking  matters,  he  offered  to  do  any  thing  which  he 
could  suggest,  in  the  way  either  of  discovering  Saul's  inten- 
tions toward  him,  or  of  delivering  him  from  any  danger 
which  might  be  hanging  over  him.  So  an  agreement  was 
made  to  the  following  effect :  The  next  day  was  new-moon, 
on  which  it  was  the  regular  custom  for  Saul  to  entertain  the 
captains  of  his  host.  On  such  an  occasion  it  was  David's 
duty  to  be  present;  but  this  time  he  would  take  the  op- 
portunity of  going  to  Bethlehem,  to  the  yearly  feast  of  his 
father's  household;  and  Jonathan  would  see,  by  Saul's  re- 
marks upon  his  absence,  how  he  felt  toward  him.  Then,  on 
the  third  day,  David  would  return  to  a  hiding-place,  known 
to  both  of  them,  by  the  stone  Ezel  in  the  field,  where  Jona- 
than, under  color  of  practicing  his  favorite  sport  of  archery, 
would  let  him  know  how  matters  were.  If  he  said  to  the 
boy  who  went  with  him  to  fetch  his  arrows, "  See  they  are 
beyond  thee,"  David  would  know  that  mischief  was  deter- 
mined against  him  by  the  king ;  if  he  said,  "  They  are  on 
this  side  of  thee,"  he  would  understand  that  all  was  well, 
and  that  he  was  perfectly  safe. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  DECEIT.  95 

In  the  formation  of  this  agreement,  the  hearts  of  the  two 
friends  were  greatly  moved ;  and  the  faith  which  Jonathan 
manifested  in  David's  future,  contrasts  very  strongly  with 
the  despondency  which  was  shown  by  David  himself.  How 
deeply  touching,  for  example,  are  these  words  of  Jonathan  : 
"Thou  shalt  not vonly  while  yet  I  live  show  me  the  kindness 
of  the  Lord,  that  I  die  not :  but  also  thou  shalt  not  cut  off 
thy  kindness  from  my  house  forever :  no,  not  when  the  Lord 
hath  cut  off  the  enemies  of  David  every  one  from  the  face 
of  the  earth.  And  Jonathan  caused  David  to  swear  again,  be- 
cause he  loved  him  :  for  he  loved  him  as  he  loved  his  own 
soul." 

On  the  feast  day,  as  David  had  anticipated,  Saul  observed 
his  absence ;  but,  imagining  that  it  was  caused  by  one  or 
other  of  those  ceremonial  defilements,  which  might  make  him 
unclean  until  the  evening,  he  made  no  remark.  On  the  mor- 
row, however,  the  absence  being  repeated,  the  king  asked,  in 
a  tone  of  displeasure,  "Wherefore  cometh  not  the  son  of 
Jesse  to  meat,  neither  yesterday  nor  to-day  ?"  In  reply,  Jon- 
athan stated  that,  with  his  permission,  David  had  gone  to 
Bethlehem,  to  the  annual  home-feast  of  his  family;  where- 
upon Saul  went  into  a  paroxysm  of  passion,  saying,  in  the 
most  insulting  and  blood-thirsty  manner,  to  Jonathan,  "Thou 
son  of  the  perverse  rebellious  woman,  do  not  I  know  that 
thou  hast  chosen  the  son  of  Jesse  to  thine  own  confusion, 
and  unto  the  confusion  of  thy  mother's  nakedness  ?  for  as 
long  as  the  son  of  Jesse  liveth  upon  the  ground,  thou  shalt 
not  be  established,  nor  thy  kingdom.  Wherefore  now  send 
and  fetch  him  unto  me,  for  he  shall  surely  die."  But  though 
Jonathan  knew,  as  well  as  Saul,  that  David  was  destined  to 
sit  upon  the  throne,  he  was  not  thereby  either  estranged  from 
him,  or  desirous  of  his  death.  So  he  stood  up  bravely  in  his 
friend's  defense,  asserting  his  innocence,  and  asking  why  he 
should  be  slain.  This,  however,  only  added  fuel  to  the  flame 


96  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

of  Saul's  evil  passion,  for  he  made  answer  by  hurling  a  jave- 
lin at  the  head  of  his  son.  That  was  enough.  Loving  and 
dutiful  as  Jonathan  was,  he  could  stand  it  no  longer,  but  rose 
in  great  indignation  from  the  table,  and  at  the  appointed 
time  went,  in  bitter  humiliation,  to  the  trysting-stone,  where 
David  lay  concealed,  to  tell  him  what  had  occurred.  By  the 
preconcerted  signal,  he  let  him  know  that  all  hope  of  recon- 
ciliation with  his  father  was  at  an  end.  But  he  could  not 
leave  his  friend  without  a  parting  embrace.  So,  giving  his 
bow  and  quiver  to  his  attendant,  with  instructions  to  carry 
them  into  the  city,  he  remained  behind,  and  David  came  forth 
from  his  hiding-place,  "and  fell  on  his  face  to  the  ground, 
and  bowed  himself  three  times  :  and  they  kissed  one  anoth- 
er, and  wept  one  with  another,  until  David  exceeded.  And 
Jonathan  said  to  David,  Go  in  peace,  forasmuch  as  we  have 
sworn  both  of  us  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  saying,  The  Lord 
be  between  me  and  thee,  and  between  .my  seed  and  thy  seed 
forever.  And  he  arose  and  departed  :  and  Jonathan  went 
into  the  city."  We  attempt  no  remark  on  this  touching 
scene,  but  content  ourselves  with  setting  it  in  vivid  distinct- 
ness before  your  view  as  one  of  the  most  thrilling  illustra- 
tions of  devoted  friendship  that  the  world  has  ever  witnessed. 
The  parting  which  we  have  just  described  occurred,  most 
probably,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  sixth  day  of  the  week,  and 
David,  eager  to  enter  at  once  into  a  secure  asylum,  employed 
the  brief  season  before  the  sunset  should  usher  in  the  Sab- 
bath, in  hastening  forward  to  Nob,  where  the  Tabernacle  at 
that  time  was  pitched.  This  place  has  not  been  certainly 
identified  by  modern  travelers.  It  is  supposed  by  some  to 
have  been  on  one  of  the  shoulders  of  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
and,  from  other  references  to  it  in  the  Old  Testament,  it 
seems  at  least  certain  that  it  was  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood of  Jerusalem,  and  within  sight  of  Mount  Zion.*  This 

*  See,  for  example,  Isaiah  x.,  32. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  DECEIT.  97 

being  the  case,  it  could  not  well  have  been  more  than  five  or 
six  miles  from  Gibeah  ;  David,  therefore,  could  reach  it  with 
ease  before  the  commencement  of  the  Sabbath,  and,  once 
there,  he  would  be  quite  secure,  as  "  no  one  could  travel 
thither  after  him  on  the  Sabbath,  neither  could  any  one  who 
might  be  at  Nob  when  he  came  go  to  Gibeah  (on  that  day), 
to  give  intelligence  of  his  arrival."*  The  place  was  inhab- 
ited by  a  colony  of  priests  numbering  more  than  fourscore, 
at  the  head  of  whom  was  Ahimelech  the  high-priest,  the  son 
of  Ahitub.  When  David  presented  himself  at  the  Taberna- 
cle, having  first  left  his  companions  in  some  place  of  retreat,! 
the  prelate  was  astonished  that  he,  the  king's  son-in-law,  and 
a  distinguished  warrior,  should  be  traveling  unattended,  and 
he  said  to  him,  "  Why  art  thou  alone,  and  no  man  with  thee  ?" 
In  reply,  David  told  a  cunning  falsehood,  representing  that 
Saul  had  sent  him  on  a  secret  mission,  and  begged  to  be  fur- 
nished with  such  provisions  as  might  be  at  hand.  The  priest, 
ignorant,  to  all  appearance,  of  the  new  feud  between  Saul 
and  David,  and  seeing  no  improbability  in  the  story  which 
was  told  him,  made  answer  that  he  had  nothing  but  the 
shew-bread  which  had  that  day  been  removed  to  make  way 
for  a  new  supply,  and  which  it  was  lawful  for  the  priests 
alone  to  eat.  Nevertheless,  in  a  case  of  extremity  like  that 
of  David,  he  declared  his  readiness  to  give  him  that,  pro- 
vided that  he  and  his  men  had  not  been  defiled.  Having 
been  satisfied  on  that  point,  he  gave  David  the  hallowed 
bread,  and  then,  in  response  to  another  request,  he  put  into 
his  hand  Goliath's  sword.  This  act  of  Ahimelech,  in  giving 
the  sacred  bread  to  David,  has  been  referred  to  with  com- 

*  Kitto's  "Daily  Bible  Illustrations,"  vol.  Hi.,  p.  281. 

t  It  has  been  supposed  by  some,  that  the  reference  made  by  David  to 
his  attendants  was  a  falsehood  as  great  as  that  which  he  told  about  the 
object  of  his  journey;  but  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  when  he  alludes 
to  this  incident,  relieve  him  from  that  accusation. 

5 


98  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

mendation  by  the  Lord  Jesus,*  and  was  used  by  him  as  a 
vindication  of  his  working  miracles  on  the  Sabbath.  His 
allusion  to  the  whole  circumstances  implies  that,  where  two 
obligations  come  apparently  into  collision,  the  lower  must 
give  place  to  the  higher,  and  that  there  is  nothing  in  the 
sight  of  God  more  sacred  than  the  saving  of  life,  or  the 
helping  of  suffering  humanity,  or  the  salvation  of  a  soul. 

But  his  words,  while  sustaining  the  action  of  the  high- 
priest,  do  not  in  the  least  degree  extenuate  the  sin  of  Da- 
vid. Some  indeed,  like  Delaney,  do  not  hesitate  to  vindicate 
him  even  for  the  deception  which  he  practiced  here ;  but 
David  himself,  at  a  later  period,  deeply  bewailed  his  false- 
hood, and,  even  at  the  time  at  which  he  told  it,  a  circum- 
stance occurred  which  made  his  heart  beat  loud  with  the 
upbraidings  of  conscience,  and  darkened  his  soul  with  the 
forebodings  of  disaster.  For  in  the  Tabernacle  with  him, 
detained  from  traveling  by  the  recurrence  of  the  Sabbath, 
was  Doeg,  an  Edomite,  the  chief  shepherd  of  King  Saul ; 
and  David  had  a  too  sure  presentiment  that  the  monarch 
would  by  him  be  speedily  informed  of  the  whole  affair,  and 
would  take  ruthless  revenge  on  all  concerned.  But  there 
was  another  there  whom  David  had  forgotten,  else  he  had 
never  told  the  lie  which  wrought  such  havoc  in  the  holy  set- 
tlement. God  was  there !  Had  the  hunted  fugitive  but 
realized  that,  it  would  have  kept  him  from  deceit,  and  the 
face  of  the  Edomite  would  not  have  troubled  him.  He  who 
feareth  God  needs  be  afraid  of  no  one  else,  but  when  one  is 
committing  iniquity  he  starts  at  his  own  shadow.  "The 
thief  doth  fear  each  bush  an  officer."  At  another  time  Da- 
vid would  have  met  Doeg  unabashed,  but  now  his  heart  mis- 
gives him  at  his  presence,  and  he  wishes  to  escape  his  ob- 
servation. 

*  Matthew  xii.,  3  ;  Mark  ii.,  25  ;  Luke  vi.,  3, 4. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  DECEIT.  99 

"  Thus  oft  it  haps  that  when  within 
They  shrink  at  sense  of  secret  sin, 

A  feather  daunts  the  brave  ; 
A  fool's  wild  speech  confounds  the  wise, 
And  proudest  princes  veil  their  eyes 

Before  their  meanest  slave."* 

David  remained  at  Nob  no  longer  than  was  absolutely 
necessary,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  first  day  of  the  week 
he  took  the  path  down  through  the  valley,  afterward  called 
by  the  name  of  Jehoshaphat,  past  the  Jebusite  stronghold 
of  Zion,  and  away  most  probably  through  the  very  battle-field 
where  he  had  slain  Goliath,  on  to  the  city  of  Gath,  where  he 
wished  to  put  himself  under  the  protection  of  Achish,  who 
was  at  that  time  the  head  of  the  Philistian  confederacy. 

This  was  a  strange,  an  almost  insane,  procedure  on  the 
part  of  David ;  yet,  if  we  will  but  remember  that  at  this 
juncture  he  had  lost  his  faith  in  the  protection  of  Jehovah, 
we  shall  easily  see  how  he  came  to  act  as  he  did.  The  oth- 
er tribes  by  whom  the  Israelites  were  surrounded  were  at 
peace  with  Saul,  hence  none  of  them  would  have  been  likely 
to  risk  a  quarrel  with  him  by  taking  David  under  their  pro- 
tection. But  the  Philistines  were  the  traditional  enemies  of 
the  Jews ;  hence,  if  he  could  ingratiate  himself  with  them, 
he  might  find  a  secure  retreat  at  the  court  of  their  lead- 
er. This  idea,  promising  at  first  view,  seems  to  have  been 
adopted  by  David  without  due  reflection  on  the  conse- 
quences which  might  follow  from  his  acting  upon  it,  or  on 
the  conditions  on  which  alone  it  was  possible  for  him  to  re- 
ceive assistance  from  the  enemies  of  his  nation.  Had  he 
considered  for  a  moment,  he  might  have  seen  that,  even  if 
the  Philistines  should  receive  him  hospitably,  his  very  ac- 
ceptance of  their  kindness  would  seriously  compromise  him 

*  Scott's  "  Marmion." 


ioo  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

in  after-years.  Besides,  he  might  have  known  that  he  could 
expect  the  Philistines  to  defend  him,  only  on  the  under- 
standing that  he  should  make  common  cause  with  them, 
and  take  up  arms  against  his  own  countrymen. 

Hence,  even  as  a  policy,  this  flight  to  Gath  was  a  blun- 
der, and  David  was  only  saved  from  its  dangers  and  entan- 
glements by  the  opposition  to  him  of  the  lords  of  the  Philis- 
tines, whose  national  instinct  told  them  that  he  could  not  but 
be  their  constant  enemy.  They  had  heard  of  his  populari- 
ty among  his  own  people,  after  the  slaying  of  their  gigantic 
chieftain  ;  they  had  been  informed  of  Saul's  jealousy  of  him  ; 
they  knew,  too,  in  some  way  or  other,  that  he  had  been  al- 
ready designated  as  Saul's  successor,  and  therefore  they  re- 
garded him  with  undisguised  hostility,  and  loudly  expressed 
their  dissatisfaction  with  Achish  for  permitting  him  to  re- 
main in  their  land.  These  feelings  were  very  probably  in- 
tensified when  they  saw  the  sword  of  Goliath  in  David's 
hand,  and  very  soon  the  indications  which  met  him  on  ev- 
ery hand,  that  he  was  most  unwelcome,  filled  his  heart  with 
dismay.  His  great  object  then  became  to  get  away  in  safe- 
ty. He  feared  that  they  might  forcibly  detain  him,  and  con- 
sign him  to  imprisonment  in  some  one  of  their  fortresses. 
Indeed,  from  the  heading  of  the  56th  Psalm,  as  well  as  from 
the  words  of  Achish  in  the  narrative,  it  would  seem  that  they 
did  apprehend  him  ;  so  he  had  recourse  to  a  questiona- 
ble expedient  to  make  himself  appear  contemptible,  and  al- 
together unworthy  of  the  consideration  of  his  enemies.  He 
feigned  madness,  going  about  scribbling  on  the  doors  of  the 
gate,  and  letting  his  spittle  fall  upon  his  beard ;  and  so  well 
did  he  counterfeit,  that  Achish  held  him  up  to  the  scorn  of 
his  courtiers,  who  were  all  at  length  glad  to  be  ricl  of  his 
presence.  Thus  was  David  taught  that  "it  is  an  evil  thing 
and  a  bitter  to  forsake  the  Lord  of  Hosts."  He  had  lost 
his  faith  in  Jehovah,  and  put  his  confidence  in  Achish,  and 


THE  VALLEY  OF  DECEIT.  101 

nothing  more  salutary  could  have  happened  to  him  than 
such  a  reception  as  that  which  was  given  to  him  at  Gath. 
When  a  youth  is  going  on  a  wrong  course,  the  best  thing 
that  can  befall  him  is  failure  and  disgrace,  and  the  worst 
thing  that  can  come  to  him  is  what  the  world  calls  success. 
If  he  succeed,  the  probability  is  that  he  will  go  farther  astray 
than  ever ;  but  if  he  fail,  there  is  hope  that  he  will  return  to 
the  right  path,  and  seek  alliance  with  Jehovah.  This  last 
was  the  case  with  David  in  the  instance  before  us,  if  at  least 
we  may  judge  of  the  effect  which  his  experience  produced 
upon  him,  from  the  songs  which  he  wrote  with  special  refer- 
ence to  the  incidents  at  which  we  have  been  looking.  The 
titles  of  the  34th  and  561)1  Psalms  connect  these  odes  with 
David's  residence  in  Gath;  and  though  there  are  few  ac- 
knowledgments of  sin  in  them,  yet  they  indicate  that,  as  the 
result  and  outcome  of  his  trials,  he  was  led  to  look  away 
from  all  earthly  helpers  to  the  Lord  alone.  "This  poor 
man  cried,  and  the  Lord  heard  him  and  saved  him  out  of 
all  his  troubles."  Perhaps,  too,  there  may  be  an  implied 
condemnation  of  the  course  which  he  had  been  pursuing, 
and  a  virtual  resolution  to  abstain  from  it  in  the  future,  when 
he  says,  "What  man  is  he  that  desireth  life,  and  loveth  many 
days,  that  he  may  see  good  ?  Keep  thy  tongue  from  evil, 
and  thy  lips  from  speaking  guile.  Depart  from  evil,  and  do 
good  ;  seek  peace,  and  pursue  it."  And  it  is  scarcely  possible 
to  doubt  that,  from  his  own  penitence  for  the  sins  of  which 
he  had  just  been  guilty,  and  his  own  experience  of  God's  fa- 
vor' when  he  returned  to  him,  he  was  led  to  sing,  "  The  Lord 
is  nigh  unto  them  that  are  of  a  broken  heart ;  and  saveth 
such  as  be  of  a  contrite  spirit.  Many  are  the  afflictions  of 
the  righteous :  but  the  Lord  delivereth  him  out  of  them  all." 
How  interesting,  too,  it  is  to  picture  him  to  ourselves  as,  jour- 
neying from  Gath,  and,  taking  the  way  that  led  to  the  cave  in 
which  he  was  to  find  for  a  time  a  home,  he  sings,  "  Thou  tell- 


102  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

est  my  wanderings :  put  them  my  tears  into  thy  bottle :  are 
they  not  in  thy  book  ?  When  I  cry  unto  thee,  then  shall  mine 
enemies  turn  back  :  this  I  know  ;  for  God  is  for  me.  In  God 
will  I  praise  his  word :  in  the  Lord  will  I  praise  his  word. 
In  God  have  I  put  my  trust :  I  will  not  be  afraid  what  man 
can  do  unto  me.  Thy  vows  are  upon  me,  O  God :  I  will 
render  praises  unto  thee.  For  thou  hast  delivered  my  soul 
from  death :  wilt  not  thou  deliver  my  feet  from  falling,  that 
I  may  walk  before  God  in  the  light  of  the  living  ?"  Said  I 
not  truly  that  David's  repulse  from  Gath  was  the  best  thing 
that  could  have  happened  him  ?  It  sent  him  back  into  the 
arms  of  God,  and  in  these  notes  of  trust  there  is  again  the 
spirit  of  him  who  laid  Goliath  low. 

Leaving  Achish,  David  went  back  to  his  native  land,  and 
found  an  asylum  in  the  cave  of  Adullam.  This  is  now  gen- 
erally identified  with  a  cave  in  the  side  of  a  deep  ravine, 
some  five  or  six  miles  south-west  of  Bethlehem,  and  called 
the  Wady  Khureitun.  Dr.  Thomson,  in  "  The  Land  and  the 
Book,"*  speaks  thus  of  it:  "  Leaving  our  horses  in  the  charge 
of  wild  Arabs,  and,  taking  one  for  a  guide,  we  started  for  the 
cave,  having  a  fearful  gorge  below,  gigantic  cliffs  above,  and 
the  path  winding  along  a  shelf  of  rock  narrow  enough  to 
make  the  nervous  among  us  shudder.  At  length,  from  a 
great  rock  hanging  on  the  edge  of  this  shelf,  we  sprang,  by 
a  long  leap,  into  a  low  window  which  opened  into  the  per- 
pendicular face  of  the  cliff.  We  were  then  within  the  hold 
of  David,  and  creeping,  half  doubled,  through  a  narrow  crev- 
ice for  a  few  rods,  we  stood  beneath  the  dark  vault  of  the 
first  chamber  of  this  mysterious  and  oppressive  cavern.  Our 
whole  collection  of  lights  did  little  more  than  make  the  dark- 
ness visible.  After  groping  about  as  long  as  we  had  time  to 
spare,  we  returned  to  the  light  of  day,  fully  convinced  that 

*  English  Edition,  pp.  606, 607. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  DECEIT.  103 

with  David  and  his  lion-hearted  followers  inside,  all  the 
strength  of  Israel  under  Saul  could  not  have  forced  an  en- 
trance— would  not  even  have  attempted  it."  If  this,  then, 
were  the  cave,  it  is  quite  probable  that,  from  its  proximity  to 
Bethlehem,  David  was  already  familiar  with  it.  But  be  that 
as  it  may,  in  this  or  in  some  other  similar  cavern,  he  took 
up  his  abode,  establishing  himself  in  a  kind  of  independent 
chieftainship,  and,  while  religiously  refraining  from  all  at- 
tacks on  Saul,  ready  to  defend  himself  from  every  assault. 
Nor  was  he  left  alone.  His  brethren  and  kinsmen  joined 
his  standard,  and  others,  to  the  number  of  about  four  hun- 
dred, became  his  followers.  They  were  a  motley  multitude, 
each  individual  having  his  own  special  reason  for  the  course 
he  took.  Some  came  because  their  circumstances  were  so 
bad,  that  any  change,  even  though  it  were  into  a  cave,  was 
an  improvement ;  others  came  because  they  were  so  deeply 
drowned  in  debt  that  they  could  escape  slavery  only  by  be- 
coming military  adventurers  ;  while  others  were  impelled  to 
join  the  company  because  they  were  imbittered  either  by 
their  own  personal  sorrows,  or  by  oppression  at  the  hands  of 
Saul.  But  all  alike  were  attracted  to  David  because  he  was 
a  brave,  dashing  leader,  destined,  in  the  end,  to  be  king  over 
Israel. 

But  there  were  two  who  came  to  the  cave  very  specially 
on  David's  account.  The  first  was  Gad,  the  seer,  of  whom 
now,  for  the  first  time,  mention  is  made  in  the  sacred  narra- 
tive. Perhaps  he  had  made  David's  acquaintance  during 
his  recent  sojourn  at  Naioth,  in  the  school  of  the  prophets ; 
and  now,  prompted  by  his  own  generous  heart,  or  mayhap 
obedient  to  the  suggestion  of  the  venerable  Samuel,  he  came, 
in  the  time  of  the  young  hero's  necessity,  to  cheer  and  coun- 
sel him  during  his  outlawry. 

The  other  was  Abiathar,  the  son  of  Ahimelech,  the  high- 
priest,  who  came  from  Nob,  telling  of  a  terrible  tragedy  which 


104  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Saul  had  enacted  there,  and  claiming  the  protection  of  the 
son  of  Jesse. 

The  story  which  he  told,  supplemented  by  such  details  as 
the  record  itself  furnishes,  was  briefly  this  :  Hearing  of  Da- 
vid's escape  to  Gath,  and  of  his  re  -  appearance  in  Judah, 
Saul  made  complaint  of  the  lukewarmness  of  his  servants  in 
carrying  out  his  commands  against  his  rival,  and  affirmed 
that  they  were  all  in  league  with  Jonathan  in  the  interests 
of  David.  Upon  this,  Doeg  the  Edomite  came  forward  and 
told  how,  on  a  certain  Sabbath  when  he  was  at  Nob,  Ahim- 
elech,  the  high-priest,  had  given  David  food,  and  had  pre- 
sented him  with  Goliath's  sword.  He  also  alleged  that  he 
had,  by  means  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  "  inquired  of  the 
Lord"  for  him.  Of  this  last  there  is  no  record  in  the  nar- 
rative, and  it  was  probably  added  with  malignant  intent  by 
Doeg,  for  consultation  of  the  sacred  oracle  was  reserved  for 
great  occasions,  and  was  generally  regarded  as  the  exclusive 
privilege  of  the  head  of  the  nation.  Hence  "  the  inquiring  of 
the  Lord"  for  David  would  be  construed  by  Saul,  especially 
in  the  temper  in  which  he  then  was,  as  a  transference  of  his 
allegiance  by  the  high-priest  from  Saul  to  David.  The  mo- 
ment the  king  heard  of  it,  therefore,  he  sent  for  the  priests, 
and  asked  if  the  assertion  of  Doeg  was  correct.  Ahimelech 
replied  in  a  strain  of  astonishment,  like  one  who  knew  noth- 
ing of  the  deceit  which  had  been  practiced  upon  him,  and 
indignantly  denied  that  he  had  consulted  the  oracle  for 
David.  What  he  had  done  he  had  done  as  a  mere  act  of 
humanity,  and  under  the  impression  that  he  was  assisting 
one  who  was  traveling  with  haste,  on  the  urgent  business 
of  the  king  himself.  But  his  defense  was  made  in  vain,  for 
Saul  gave  instant  orders  that  the  whole  colony  of  the  priests 
at  Nob  should  be  put  to  death.  No  Israelite,  however, 
would  execute  a  command  which  doomed  the  anointed  of 
the  Lord  to  destruction,  and  so  to  Doeg,  the  foreigner,  who 


THE  VALLEY  OF  DECEIT.  105 

had  played  the  mean  part  of  informer,  the  horrible  com- 
mission was  given.  It  was  a  work  all  too  well  suited  to  his 
disposition,  and  he  executed  it  with  such  sanguinary  ferocity 
that  only  one  out  of  the  whole  number  escaped.  This  was 
Abiathar,  who  managed  also  to  carry  with  him  the  ephod, 
with  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  with  which  he  came  to  David 
in  the  cave.  When  David  heard  the  tale  of  blood  which 
he  had  to  tell,  he  was  filled  with  the  deepest  sorrow,  and 
cried  out,  in  the  bitterness  of  his  remorse,  "  I  knew  it  that 
day  when  Doeg  the  Edomite  was  there,  that  he  would  sure- 
ly tell  Saul.  I  have  occasioned  the  death  of  all  the  per- 
sons of  thy  father's  house.  Abide  thou  with  me ;  fear  not : 
for  he  that  seeketh  my  life,  seeketh  thy  life :  but  with  me 
thou  shalt  be  in  safeguard."  Thus  was  Saul  filling  up  the 
cup  of  his  iniquities  ;  thus,  too,  unconsciously  on  the  part  of 
all  concerned,  God  was  fulfilling  that  terrible  doom  which  he 
pronounced  in  the  ear  of  the  young  Samuel,  when  first  he 
was  called  to  the  prophetic  office,  and  which  declared  that 
all  the  house  of  Eli  should  be  cut  off. 

The  cave  of  Adullam,  though  a  place  of  perfect  security, 
was  yet  very  far  from  being  an  abode  of  comfort ;  and  though 
David  could  not  but  be  cheered  by  the  presence  and  fellow- 
ship of  his  parents  with  him  there,  yet  he  loved  them  too  well 
to  think  of  allowing  them,  in  their  old  age,  to  share  his  perils 
and  privations.  Hence,  with  beautiful  and  delicate  consid- 
eration for  their  comfort  and  security,  he  sought  from  the 
King  of  Moab  an  asylum  for  them  with  him,  until  his  own  ca- 
lamities were  overpast.  In  making  this  selection  for  them, 
he  was  probably  influenced  by  his  remembrance  of  the  fact 
that  Naomi  and  her  family  had  found  in  that  land  a  place  of 
sojourn,  and  that  Ruth,  his  ancestress,  around  whose  name 
such  tender  associations  clustered,  was  herself  a  Moabitess. 
But  whatever  his  motives  were  in  the  choice  of  the  place  to 
which  he  sent  them,  we  can  not  but  admire  his  filial  thought- 

5* 


io6  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

fulness  and  devotion ;  and  we  rejoice  to  see  that,  under  the 
shield  of  the  warrior,  there  still  beat  the  loving  heart  of  a 
son. 

Here,  however,  we  must  break  off  the  interesting  story,  and 
pause  a  little  to  gather  up  the  lessons  which  we  may  learn 
from  this,  the  first  chapter  in  David's  life  that  is  darkened  by 
the  shadow  of  his  own  evil-doing. 

Behold,  then,  in  the  first  place,  how  far  one  will  go  on  in 
sin  who  has  lost  his  faith  in  God.  This,  as  it  seems  to  me,  is 
the  root  from  which  all  the  iniquity  which  we  have  been 
to-night  describing  sprung.  Even  when  David  was  with  Jon- 
athan, immediately  after  his  return  from  Naioth,  he  had  said, 
"There  is  but  a  step  between  me  and  death;"  and  after 
parting  with  his  friend,  he  appears  to  have  given  up  all  hope 
of  ever  sitting  upon  the  throne  of  Israel,  and  to  have  acted 
as  if  he  regarded  it  as  impossible  even  for  God  to  fulfill  to 
him  all  that  he  had  promised.  His  unbelief  made  him  reck- 
less ;  and  having  lost  his  hold  on  God,  his  feet  slipped,  and 
he  fell  into  grievous  sin.  Both  in  the  Tabernacle  at  Nob, 
and  in  the  city  of  Gath,  at  the  court  of  Achish,  he  was  in  this 
desponding  and  sinful  spirit ;  and  this  accounts  for  the  de- 
ceit, both  in  words  and  conduct,  of  which  he  was  guilty. 
There  is  nothing  will  keep  a  man  from  sin  more  surely  than 
confidence  in  God  ;  but  despair  is  the  most  dangerous  condi- 
tion into  which  one  can  fall.  While  faith  and  hope  last,  there 
will  be  energy,  and  watchfulness,  and  purity;  but  with  de- 
spair come  recklessness  and  folly.  WE  ARE  SAVED  BY  HOPE  ; 
but  when  we  despair  of  God's  help,  we  run  into  extremes  of 
wickedness.  When  a  merchant  is  in  difficulties,  there  is  no 
great  danger  so  long  as  he  believes  that  he  can  retrieve  him- 
self, and  hopes  that  he  will  come  out  all  right.  But  when  he 
falls  into  despair,  he  becomes  regardless  alike  of  God  or  man, 
and  runs  headlong  into  practices  of  which  in  other  circumstan- 
ces he  would  never  have  thought,  thereby  destroying  alike  his 


THE  VALLEY  OF  DECEIT.  107 

character  and  future.  But  it  is  quite  similar  in  spiritual  mat- 
ters. When  a  man  falls  into  despair,  he  is  ready  for  any  sin, 
and  runs  blindly  and  rashly  forward  upon  destruction.  Hence, 
if  we  would  abide  in  holiness,  we  must  continue  in  faith.  So 
long  as  Peter  looked  to  Jesus  and  trusted  in  him,  he  could 
walk  on  the  waters  in  safety ;  but  when  he  turned  his  eyes 
from  the  Master's  face,  and  let  them  rest  upon  the  waves  be- 
neath him,  he  began  to  despair,  and  despair  made  him  sink. 
We  can  walk  anywhere  in  safety,  at  the  command  of  Christ, 
so  long  as  we  have  confidence  in  him  ;  but  when  we  lose  our 
faith,  we  lose  our  security.  "  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved,"  is  true  not  only  of  the  punishment 
which  our  sins  have  merited,  but  also,  and  with  equal,  if  not 
indeed  with  greater  emphasis,  of  the  dangers  by  which  through 
life  we  are  beset.  The  greatest  sin  you  can  commit  against 
God  is  to  despair  of  his  grace ;  but  it  is  also  the  greatest  sin 
you  can  commit  against  yourself,  for  it  carries  in  it  the  germ 
of  manifold  iniquity.  If,  therefore,  you  would  keep  yourself 
unspotted  from  the  world,  be  careful  to  preserve  your  faith  in 
the  promises,  the  power,  and  the  salvation  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
Behold,  in  the  second  place,  in  this  history,  how  impossible 
it  is  to  arrest  the  consequences  of  our  evil  actions.  David 
lied  to  Ahimelech,  probably  thinking  not  only  to  secure  his 
own  safety  thereby,  but  also  to  keep  the  priest  from  being 
involved  with  him  in  the  displeasure  of  Saul.  But  mark  what 
ensued.  Eighty-five  priests,  together  with  all  the  inhabitants 
of  Nob,  "both  men  and  women,  children  and  sucklings," 
were  put  to  death  for  this  sin  of  which  he,  and  not  they,  had 
been  guilty.  I  have  no  doubt  that  when  David  heard  of  all 
this,  he  would  willingly  have  given  all  that  he  had,  ay,  even 
his  hopes  of  one  day  sitting  on  the  throne  of  Israel,  if  he 
could  have  recalled  the  evil  which  he  had  spoken,  and  un- 
done its  dismal  consequences.  But  it  was  impossible.  The 
lie  had  gone  forth  from  him ;  and  having  done  so,  it  was  no 


io8  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

longer  under  his  control,  but  would  go  on  producing  its  dia- 
bolical fruits.  And  so  it  is  yet.  We  can  not  arrest  the  con- 
sequences of  the  evil  which  we  do.  Whether  we  will  or  not, 
it  will  continue  to  work  on.  We  may,  indeed,  repent  of  our 
sin ;  we  may  even,  through  the  grace  of  God  for  Christ's 
sake,  have  the  assurance  that  we  are  forgiven  for  it ;  but  the 
sin  itself  will  go  on  working  its  deadly  results.  You  may  as 
soon  think  of  staying  an  avalanche  midway  in  its  descent 
from  the  Alpine  ridge,  and  so  saving  the  village  in  the  val- 
ley from  destruction,  or  of  stopping  the  bullet  midway  in  its 
flight,  from  the  musket  to  the  heart  of  him  who  will  be  de- 
stroyed by  it,  as  think  of  arresting  the  consequences  of  the 
evil  which  you  once  have  done.  A  man,  let  us  suppose,  has 
written  an  infidel  book,  or  a  book  whose  sole  design  was 
to  destroy  the  purity  and  corrupt  the  modesty  of  youth.  In 
course  of  time,  however,  he  becomes  himself  a  convert  to  the 
Christian  faith,  and  has  the  assurance  that  all  his  sins,  the 
writing  of  the  book  among  the  rest,  are  forgiven.  But  he 
can  not  recall  the  past.  He  can  not  take  back  that  book. 
It  has  circulated,  it  may  be,  by  thousands.  Its  poison  has 
gone  into  many  hearts.  It  has  made  many  skeptics,  who 
are  living  and  propagating  its  abominable  errors.  Or  it  has 
tainted  many  souls,  who  are  doing  their  very  utmost  to  carry 
out  its  principles,  and  destroy  the  sanctity  of  our  home  life, 
and  the  solemnity  of  the  marriage-vow.  Yet  its  author  can 
not  put  a  stop  to  all  this.  The  thing  has  gone  from  him, 
and  is  now  no  more  under  his  control.  Or,  again,  one  gath- 
ers around  him  a  knot  of  companions  who  are  largely  mould- 
ed by  his  influence.  He  teaches  them  intemperance.  He 
introduces  them  into  haunts  of  sensuality  and  impurity.  He 
shakes  their  faith  in  the  Word  of  God,  and  leads  them  on  to 
glory  in  their  shame.  But  after  a  while  he  is  taken,  in  God's 
providence,  to  some  other  city,  where  Jesus  lays  hold  of  him 
by  his  grace,  and  brings  him  to  his  feet.  He  is  converted, 


THE  VALLEY  OF  DECEIT.  109 

he  is  forgiven,  he  is  himself  renewed  and  sanctified  ;  but 
he  can  not  undo  the  mischief  of  his  former  evil  influence. 
That  is  working  still !  ay,  and  it  will  continue  to  work  through 
one  and  another,  long  after  his  body  is  beneath  the  sod,  and 
his  soul  is  with  his  Saviour.  Ah !  what  a  thought  have  we 
here  !  and  how  earnest  it  ought  to  make  the  unconverted  to 
give  themselves  to  Christ  at  once,  lest,  by  their  continuance 
in  their  present  course,  they  should  be  storing  up.  for  them- 
selves sorrows  in  the  days  that  are  to  come.  The  calf  that 
Jeroboam  set  up  gave  an  idolatrous  cast  to  all  the  after-his- 
tory of  Israel,  and  wrought  the  nation's  undoing  at  the  last ; 
and  could  he,  perchance,  have  foreseen  the  misery  of  the 
captives  long  years  after,  when,  in  consequence  of  his  sin, 
they  were  led  away  to  privation  and  exile,  we  may  well  be- 
lieve that  he  would  sooner  have  suffered  martyrdom  himself 
than  have  caused  such  distress  to  others.  Those  who  heard 
the  lectures  of  the  greatest  living  English  historian,  during 
his  recent  visit  to  these  shores,  will  not  soon  forget  how  sol- 
emnly he  said,  "  that  often,  in  the  providence  of  God,  the  full 
consequences  of  an  evil  course  fall  not  upon  the  head  of  him 
who  was  guilty  of  it,  but  on  those  who  in  after-days  are  his 
representatives,"  and  added,  amidst  a  stillness  which  showed 
how  fully  his  audience  understood  his  reference,  "  If  Sir  John 
Hawkins,  in  the  day  when  he  went  negro-hunting  on  the 
coast  of  Africa,  could  have  foreseen  Gettysburg,  he  would 
sooner  that  his  ship  and  all  on  board  had  gone  to  the  bot- 
tom, than  that  he  should  have  done  any  thing  to  produce 
such  a  terrible  result."  But  this  holds  spiritually  as  well. 
The  one  sin  of  a  Christian,  in  a  moment  of  unbelief  and 
temptation,  may  be  the  ruin  of  many  souls.  And  when  it  is 
once  committed,  its  consequences  can  not  be  arrested.  In- 
view  of  this  awful  consideration,  and  reflecting  on  the  issues 
that  may  already  have  come  from  some  action  of  our  own, 
or  that  may  hang  on  some  individual  transgression  in  the 


no  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

future,  which  of  us  is  not  constrained  to  offer  these  petitions  : 
"  Deliver  me  from  blood-guiltiness,  O  God,  thou  God  of  my 
salvation."  "  Hold  up  my  goings  in  thy  paths,  that  my  foot- 
steps slip  not." 

Finally,  behold  in  David's  tender  provision  for  his  parents 
an  example  of  the  care  which  we  ought  to  have  for  father 
and  mother.  There  are  few  things  more  delightful  than  to  see 
a  son  or  a  daughter  lovingly  supporting  an  aged  parent ;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  there  is  nothing  more  worthy  of  our  scorn 
and  reprobation  than  the  conduct  of  those  who  leave  their 
parents  to  the  cold  charity  of  an  unfeeling  world.  "  He  that 
provideth  not  for  his  own,  and  especially  for  those  of  his  own 
house,  hath  denied  the  faith,  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel." 
If  you  have  a  father  or  mother  in  circumstances  that  require 
your  assistance,  count  it  a  high  honor  and  glorious  privilege 
to  render  it.  Never  think  that  they  are  a  burden,  or  allow 
yourself  to  grudge  what  you  are  doing  for  them.  Consider 
how  much  you  have  owed  in  earlier  days  to  them,  and  do  not 
be  ashamed  of  them.  They  may  not  be  quite  so  polished  in 
their  manners  as  those  are  among  whom  now  you  move ; 
they  may  not  be  so  correct  in  their  speech  as  those  are  with 
whom  you  are  meeting  every  day;  but  if  you  are  a  son 
worthy  of  the  name,  you  will  give  them  the  post  of  honor 
when  they  come  to  your  home,  and  you  will  count  it  the  hap- 
piest thing  in  your  lot  that  you  are  able  to  lighten  for  them 
the  load  of  years.  It  is  a  poor,  paltry,  pityful  puppyism 
that  is  ashamed  of  a  parent — a  feeling  unworthy  of  a  man, 
not  to  say  of  a  Christian. 

Nor  is  it  only  in  the  matter  of  support  that  we  should 
show  our  regard  to  our  parents.  We  should  reverence  them 
when  we  are  beside  them,  and  when  we  go  to  a  distance  from 
them  we  should  be  regular  and  full  in  our  correspondence 
with  them,  letting  them  know  all  about  us,  and  making  them 
feel  that  we  appreciate  their  interest  in  us.  Is  there  a  son 


THE  VALLEY  OF  DECEIT.  m 

here,  to-night,  who  has  allowed  many  months  to  roll  past 
without  sending  a  single  line  to  his  father  or  his  mother,  to 
tell  how  he  fares  ?  Let  the  blush  of  shame  suffuse  his  face 
as  he  thinks  of  his  thoughtlessness.  You  may  not  have 
much  occasion  to  remember  your  home.  In  the  bustle  of 
the  workshop,  or  of  the  store,  or  of  the  counting-room,  many 
things  force  themselves  upon  your  attention,  and  you  do  not 
miss  your  home.  But  your  mother,  having  no  such  multi- 
plicity of  things  to  divert  her  mind,  is  thinking  upon  you  all 
the  day  long ;  and  as  the  postman  goes  his  round  each  morn- 
ing, she  looks  out  expecting  a  note  from  you.  But,  alas ! 
each  day  she  turns  away  disappointed,  saying,  with  a  heavy 
heart,  "  Can  he  have  forgotten  his  mother  ?"  Don't  let  this 
occur  again.  Go  at  once  and  send  her  a  cheery,  hearty  let- 
ter, if  possible  with  a  check  or  a  post-office  order  in  it,  as  a 
tangible  evidence  of  your  affection.  Her  loneliness  will  be 
irradiated  by  the  sunshine  of  your  kindness  ;  her  heart  will 
be  warmed  by  the  assurance  of  your  continued  love ;  and 
your  own  soul  will  be  benefited  by  the  doing  of  a  filial  deed. 
"  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thy  days  may  be 
long  upon  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee." 


VII. 

SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT. 
i  SAMUEL  xxii.,  5 — xxiii.,  1-28. 

DURING  the  days  of  his  outlawry  at  the  hands  of  Saul, 
David  was  specially  guarded  and  guided  by  Jehovah. 
Indeed,  in  so  far  as  the  direction  of  his  movements  was  con- 
cerned, he  enjoyed  at  this  time  very  peculiar  privileges.  As 
we  have  already  seen,  Gad  the  seer  was  among  his  adher- 
ents;  and  when  Abiathar,  the  high -priest,  joined  his  stand- 
ard, he  brought  with  him  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  those 
mystic  treasures  of  the  ephod  which  were  the  means  by 
which  the  answers  of  the  sacred  oracle  were  given.  David 
had  thus  two  distinct  channels  of  direct  communication  with 
Jehovah ;  and  whenever  the  mind  of  God  was  made  known 
to  him,  either  through  the  one  or  the  other,  he  set  himself  to 
obey  it.  Sometimes,  indeed,  as  we  shall  see  with  regret,  he 
allowed  himself  to  be  carried  away  by  his  own  evil  inclina- 
tions, but  these  were  exceptions  to  the  general  tenor  of  his 
life — like  the  backward  eddies  of  the  Niagara  whirlpool  in  a 
river  whose  course,  as  a  whole,  is  still  toward  the  sea — for  his 
habit  was  to  follow  where  Jehovah  led. 

It  is  to  be  noted  here  as  an  interesting  fact,  that  in  the 
hold  of  Adullam  and  in  the  wilderness  of  Judah,  we  have, 
side  by  side,  representatives  of  the  oracular  and  the  pro- 
phetical methods  of  the  communication  of  the  will  of  God  to 
men  ;  and  that,  in  the  life  of  David,  as  a  whole,  we  have  the 
era  of  the  transition  from  the  one  to  the  other.  Up  till  this 
time  the  priest  had  been  the  most  important  personage  in 
the  nation,  and  the  only  recognized  channel  through  which 


SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT.  113 

God  indicated  his  will  to  the  people.  True,  there  had  been 
great  outstanding  prophets,  like  Moses  and  Samuel;  but  the 
former  was  an  exception  to  all  rules  as  being  the  leader  of 
the  Exodus ;  and  the  latter,  from  his  training  under  Eli,  was 
as  much  a  priest  as  he  was  a  prophet.  True,  again,  in  the 
time  of  the  Judges  there  was  Deborah,  the  prophetess ;  but 
she  was  raised  up,  in  connection  with  a  particular  crisis  in 
the  history  of  her  people.  The  general  system,  however, 
was,  that  when  the  head  of  the  nation,  whether  judge  or 
king,  wished,  at  any  special  emergency,  to  ask  counsel  of 
the  Lord,  the  inquiry  was  made  through  the  priest,  and  the 
answer  was  given  by  the  Urim  and  Thummim.  But  now 
the  prophet,  as  a  standing  official  personage,  comes  into 
prominence,  and  the  mind  of  God  begins  to  be  made  known 
through  his  human  individuality,  and  not  through  any  such 
visible  media  as  those  which  were  connected  with  the  priest- 
ly breastplate. 

In  the  hold  and  in  the  wilderness,  David  received  divine 
directions  through  both  channels,  but  gradually,  even  in  his 
life,  the  breastplate  oracle  disappears  or  falls  into  desuetude ; 
and  from  the  reign  of  Solomon  downward  we  have  no  men- 
tion made  of  its  employment  in  the  Jewish  annals.  In  the 
same  gradual  manner  the  prophet  waxes  into  pre-eminence, 
Gad  and  Nathan  preparing  the  way  for  Elijah  and  Elisha, 
and  these,  in  their  turn,  giving  place  to  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah, 
who  were  succeeded,  in  the  days  of  the  exile,  by  Ezekiel  and 
Daniel ;  and  in  the  era  of  the  Restoration  by  Haggai,  Zecha- 
riah,  and  Malachi. 

Now,  if  we  think  out  this  subject  a  little  more  fully,  we 
shall  see  that  in  the  life  of  David  a  distinct  forward  step  was 
taken  in  the  education  of  the  people  of  God,  from  the  first 
rudiments  of  external  symbolism,  on  toward  that  system  of 
spiritual  simplicity  under  which  we  now  live  in  the  Gospel 
dispensation.  In  that  course  of  education,  the  Urim  and 


ii4  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Thummim  were  themselves  an  advance  on  what  had  gone 
before.  It  is  not  easy,  indeed,  to  say  definitely  what  the 
Urim  and  Thummim  were.  The  words  denote  "  Light  and 
Perfection,"  and  they  were  the  names  given  to  some  things 
connected  with  the  dress  of  the  Jewish  high-priest.  Over 
the  white  tunic  which  he  wore  when  he  came  nigh  to  the 
shekinah,  he  had  the  blue  robe  of  the  ephod ;  then,  over 
that  he  wore  the  ephod  itself,  made  of  white  twined  linen,  in- 
wrought with  blue,  and  purple,  and  scarlet,  and  gold ;  then, 
over  the  ephod  he  placed  the  breastplate,  on  which  were 
twelve  precious  stones,  corresponding  to  the  tribes  of  Israel ; 
then,  in  the  breastplate,  apparently  as  something  different 
from  it,  were  put  the  Urim  and  Thummim.  But  what  these 
were  —  whether  other  precious  stones,  or,  as  some  sup- 
pose, symbolic  figures  of  truth  and  righteousness,  like  those 
which  were  worn  by  the  Egyptian  judges — we  are  nowhere 
informed.  Still,  whatever  they  were,  through  them,  in  some 
visible  manner,  God  gave  his  answer  to  the  head  of  the  na- 
tion, when  he  was  specially  applied  to  in  any  time  of  per- 
plexity. In  almost  all  the  recorded  cases  of  the  use  of  the 
Urim  and  Thummim,  the  questions  which  were  put  were 
military  or  strategical ;  one  question  only  was  answered  at 
a  time,  and  the  response,  in  every  instance,  was  very  brief, 
amounting  frequently  to  little  more  than  "Yes  "  or  "  No." 

There  was  in  all  this,  of  course,  much  of  the  visible  and 
material.  Yet  there  was  in  it,  also,  a  distinct  advance,  in  so 
far  as  the  demand  for  faith  was  concerned,  over  that  which 
was  made  by  the  pillar  and  the  cloud  in  the  Arabian  desert. 
These  latter  symbols  were  always  before  the  eyes  of  all  the 
people.  While  following  them,  therefore,  they  were  walking 
not  so  much  by  faith  as  by  sight ;  but  when  these  were  with- 
drawn, and  the  glory  of  the  shekinah  hid  from  view,  the 
media  of  communication  were  concealed  beneath  the  high- 
priest's  breastplate,  and  there  was  more  occasion  for  faith. 


SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT.  115 

This  call  for  faith  was  increased  when  the  Urim  and  Thum- 
mini  ceased,  and  the  prophets  came  speaking  in  God's 
name,  giving  gradually  fewer  and  fewer  specific  directions 
as  to  particular  matters,  and  more  and  more  proclaiming 
great  spiritual  principles.  And  now  there  is,  more  than 
ever,  a  demand  for  faith,  when,  under  the  New  Testament 
economy,  the  way  into  the  holiest  is  made  manifest  to  every 
believer,  and  the  answers  to  the  soul's  inquiries  are  given 
not  by  any  objective  oracle,  but  by  the  Christian's  study  of 
God's  Word,  as  that  is  interpreted  by  the  providences  that 
are  without  him,  and  the  Spirit  of  God  that  is  dwelling  with- 
in him.  Hence,  when  we  read  the  history  of  David's  sojourn 
in  the  cave,  or  of  his  wanderings  in  the  wilderness,  and  see 
the  priest  Abiathar  on  his  right  hand,  and  the  prophet  Gad 
on  his  left,  we  feel  that  we  are  standing  on  one  of  the  great 
landing-places  of  that  stairway  of  education,  up  which  God 
led  his  people  from  the  childhood  of  walking  by  sight,  to  the 
glorious  liberty,  and  graceful  movement,  of  that  spiritual  man- 
hood which  walks  continually  by  faith. 

These  considerations,  interesting  as  they  are  in  a  mere 
historical  point  of  view,  are  valuable  also  as  tending  to  keep 
us  from  regretting  that  now  we  have  no  such  oracle  as 
that  which,  as  we  shall  see  to-night,  David  consulted  again 
and  again  with  signal  advantage  to  himself.  Some  may 
think  that  it  would  have  been  better  had  the  Urim  and 
Thummim  held  their  place  till  now  !  And,  I  suppose,  we  can 
all  look  back  on  critical  times  in  our  history,  when  we  would 
have  given  all  we  had  in  the  world  for  some  such  infallible 
indication  of  God's  will  as  to  our  duty,  as  that  which  David 
received.  But  we  had  the  throne  of  grace  to  go  to  in  prayer ; 
and  as  we  gathered  what  God's  mind  was,  from  the  consid- 
eration of  his  Word,  the  leadings  of  his  Spirit,  and  the  indi- 
cations of  his  providence,  we  were  guided  as  truly  as  David 
was  :  and,  now  that  we  have  passed  the  crisis,  and  can  look 


n6  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

at  it  from  the  other  side,  we  feel  that  we  were  benefited  by 
the  experience,  and  that  we  are  to-day  stronger  in  all  the  el- 
ements of  Christian  manhood,  than  we  should  have  been  if, 
without  any  mental  or  spiritual  activity  of  our  own,  God  had 
told  us,  in  so  many  words,  what  we  were  to  do.  When  Jesus 
said  to  his  followers,  "  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away," 
he  meant  that  they  would  become  in  every  respect  nobler 
men,  if  they  went  forward  believing  in  the  unseen  Christ 
whose  Spirit  was  in  their  hearts,  than  they  would  have  been 
if  he  had  remained  beside  them  saying  to  each  one, "  Do  this." 
In  the  one  case  they  would  have  been  merely  his  servants, 
doing  his  commands  in  so  many  individual  directions.  In 
the  other  case  he  would  be,  if  I  may  so  say,  repeating  or  in- 
carnating himself  anew  in  every  one  of  them;  and  they 
would  become,  each  one  in  his  own  measure,  another  repre- 
sentative of  Christ,  working  as  he  would  have  wrought,  speak- 
ing as  he  would  have  spoken,  and  acting  as  he  would  have 
acted.  Now  similarly  here,  we  have  lost  the  external  Urim 
and  Thummim ;  but  we  have  in  its  stead  the  internal  and 
indwelling  Holy  Ghost,  by  whose  agency  within  us,  supple- 
mented and  interpreted  by  God's' Word,  and  providence  with- 
out us,  our  prayers  are  answered  as  really  as  David's  were 
by  the  mystic  oracle. 

I  have  dwelt  thus  long  on  this  subject,  both  because  of  its 
connection  with  the  history  that  is  before  us,  and  because  of 
its  importance  from  its  bearing  on  the  gradual  preparation 
which,  all  through  the  Jewish  history,  God  was  making  for 
the  introduction  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ — but  I  hasten  now 
to  the  incidents  recorded  in  the  chapter  of  David's  life  to 
which  we  have  this  evening  come. 

When  he  was  in  the  hold  of  Adullam,  as  we  learn  from 
the  fifth  verse  of  the  twenty-second  chapter,  David  was  rec- 
ommended by  Gad  to  betake  himself  to  the  territory  of  Ju- 
dah,  and  he  went  immediately  to  the  forest  of  Hareth ;  but 


SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT.  117 

as  every  trace  of  this  forest  has  disappeared,  we  have  now  no 
means  of  identifying  its  locality.  More  interesting  to  us  by 
far  than  any  mere  question  of  topography,  however,  is  the  fact 
that  in  connection  with  his  wanderings  at  this  time  David 
composed  that  exquisitely  beautiful  Psalm,  which  has  been  a 
song  to  the  people  of  God  in  the  house  of  their  pilgrimage 
ever  since,  and  which  is  numbered  as  the  63d  in  the  sacred 
Psalter.  Pvead  it  in  the  light  of  the  circumstances  out  of 
which  it  sprung,  and  you  will  see  in  it  new  loveliness,  and 
feel  a  new  power  coming  from  it.  Mark  the  intense  longing 
for  a  closer  fellowship  with  God  with  which  it  begins :  "  O 
God,  thou  art  my  God  ;  early  will  I  seek  thee  :  my  soul  thirst- 
eth  for  thee,  my  flesh  longeth  for  thee  in  a  dry  and  thirsty 
land,  where  no  water  is ;  to  see  thy  power  and  thy  glory,  so 
as  I  have  seen  thee  in  the  sanctuary."  Behold  how  even 
in  his  desolation — perhaps  just  because  of  his  desolation — 
he  feels  the  value  of  spiritual  blessings,  and  praises  God  for 
them  :  "  Because  thy  loving-kindness  is  better  than  life,  my 
lips  shall  praise  thee.  Thus  will  I  bless  thee  while  I  live :  I 
will  lift  up  my  hands  in  thy  name."  Then,  in  the  sleepless- 
ness of  the  night,  as  the  wind  sighs  through  the  forest  trees, 
and  the  dreariness  of  his  position  is  apt  to  sink  him  into  de- 
spondency, observe  the  antidote  which  he  employs  to  coun- 
teract those  influences :  "  My  soul  shall  be  satisfied  as  with 
marrow  and  fatness ;  and  my  mouth  shall  praise  thee  with 
joyful  lips :  when  I  remember  thee  upon  my  bed,  and  medi- 
tate on  thee  in  the  nightwatches."  And  in  the  final  strain, 
see  how,  reasoning  from  the  past,  already  rich  to  him,  young 
though  he  still  was,  in  memories  of  deliverance,  he  looks  for- 
ward with  confidence  to  the  future,  when  he  should  be  set 
free  from  all  his  enemies,  and,  as  the  king  upon  the  throne, 
should  rejoice  in  God,  "  Because  thou  hast  been  my  help, 
therefore  in  the  shadow  of  thy  wings  will  I  rejoice.  My 
soul  followeth  hard  after  thee  :  thy  right  hand  upholdeth 


n8  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

me.  But  those  that  seek  my  soul  to  destroy  it,  shall  go  into 
the  lower  parts  of  the  earth.  They  shall  fall  by  the  sword  ; 
they  shall  be  a  portion  for  foxes.  But  the  king  shall  rejoice 
in  God ;  every  one  that  sweareth  by  him  shall  glory  :  but 
the  mouth  of  them  that  speak  lies  shall  be  stopped."  Hap- 
py they,  who  in  their  trials  find  such  consolations  as  David 
then  experienced ;  for,  even  in  the  midst  of  their  troubles,  they 
are  more  to  be  envied  than  the  men  of  the  world  when  their 
"corn  and  their  wine  do  most  abound." 

While  the  outlawed  leader  and  his  band  were  at  Hareth, 
some  messengers  came  to  tell  that  the  Philistines  had  re- 
sumed their  marauding  practices  at  Keilah,  where  they  were 
carrying  away  the  grain,  night  after  night,  from  the  threshing- 
floors.  This  gives  us  a  glimpse  into  the  state  of  the  coun- 
try at  the  time,  and  shows  us  also  the  nature  of  the  position 
which  David  and  his  men  occupied  in  the  estimation  of  their 
fellow-countrymen.  The  Philistines,  as  we  have  repeatedly 
seen,  were  by  no  means  subdued  by  the  Israelites.  They 
were  still  able  to  harass  and  annoy  them ;  and  watching 
their  opportunity,  they  came  down  in  the  harvest-time  upon 
the  threshing-floors,  killing  the  sentinels,  and  carrying  off 
the  spoil.  Now  that  the  people  applied  to  David  in  such  an 
emergency  was  a  token  of  their  confidence  in  him.  It  has 
been  affirmed  by  many,  indeed,  that  he  was  at  this  time  a  free- 
booter, living  by  his  sword,  and  helping  himself  without  scru- 
ple to  the  property  of  his  neighbors ;  that,  in  fact,  he  was  a 
Jewish  Robin  Hood,  or  an  Israelitish  Rob  Roy ;  and  that,  as 
Wordsworth  sings  concerning  the  Scottish  Macgregor, 

"  The  good  old  rule 
Sufficed  him ;  the  simple  plan, 
That  they  should  take  who  have  the  power, 
And  they  should  keep  who  can." 

But  there  is  no  evidence  in  support  of  this,  so  far,  at  least, 
as  his  position  at  this  time  in  Judah  is  concerned.  Rather, 


SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT.  119 

the  fact  that,  in  a  crisis  like  that  which  came  upon  the  men 
of  Keilah,  information  of  their  calamity  was  at  once  conveyed 
to  him,  seems  to  indicate  that  he  was  recognized  as  a  kind 
of  protector  of  the  people,  against  the  enemies  by  whom  they 
were  so  frequently  invaded.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  he 
made  it  a  great  part  of  his  business,  at  this  time,  to  defend  the 
lives  and  property  of  his  fellow-countrymen  from  the  assaults 
of  those  unscrupulous  robbers,  who,  like  the  modern  Bedou- 
in, had  no  regard  either  for  the  rights  or  the  existence  of  oth- 
ers. For  this  service  he  naturally  expected,  and  cheerfully 
received,  a  recompense  from  those  to  whom  it  was  rendered. 
This  recompense  came,  generally,  in  the  shape  of  supplies  for 
himself  and  his  men  ;  but  the  acceptance  of  such  bounty,  so 
rendered,  was  a  very  different  thing  from  compelling  them  to 
give  him  a  certain  tribute,  or  black-mail,  on  condition  that 
he  should  not  steal  from  them  himself,  and  that  he  should 
restore  what  others  pilfered. 

The  view  which  I  have  given  of  David's  position  at  this 
time  is  strengthened  by  the  circumstances,  which  are  nar- 
rated in  connection  with  Nabal,  and  which  will  be  consid- 
ered more  fully  hereafter.  I  may  only  at  present  quote, 
in  corroboration  of  my  theory,  the  words  of  Nabal's  servants 
to  Abigail,  when  describing  David  and  his  men.  They  say, 
"  The  men  were  very  good  unto  us,  and  we  were  not  hurt ; 
neither  missed  we  any  thing  as  long  as  we  were  conversant 
with  them,  when  we  were  in  the  fields.  They  were  a  wall 
unto  us  both  by  night  and  day,  all  the  while  we  were  with 
them  keeping  the  sheep." 

Now,  if  this  be  a  correct  account  of  the  matter,  we  can 
easily  understand  why  David  was  told  of  the  outrage  which 
had  been  committed  upon  Keilah,  and  why  the  impulse  of 
his  heart  was  to  go  at  once  to  their  assistance.  But  he 
would  not  move  without  consulting  the  oracle,  both  because 
he  wished  to  be  himself  quite  certain  that  he  was  taking  the 


120  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

path  of  duty,  and  because  he  was  desirous  of  securing  the 
confidence  of  his  men.  The  reply  of  the  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim  wa"s  favorable  to  his  undertaking  the  expedition,  but 
still  the  hearts  of  his  followers  failed,  for  they  said,  "  Behold, 
we  be  afraid  here  in  Judah  :  how  much  more  then  if  we  come 
to  Keilah  against  the  armies  of  the  Philistines."  Judah  here 
means  the  mountain  district  of  that  tribal  territory,  since 
Keilah  was  a  city  in  the  plain.  The  confidence  of  David's 
men  was  in  the  hills,  but  he  himself  looked  higher,  even  to 
Him  "  who  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth."  So,  to  re-as- 
sure them,  he  inquired  again  at  the  oracle,  and  having  re- 
ceived the  same  answer,  only  with  added  emphasis  in  regard 
to  success,  he  went  down  to  save  the  city,  and  recover  the 
property  of  its  inhabitants. 

The  expedition  was  crowned  with  decisive  success,  and, 
relying  on  the  gratitude  of  those  whom  he  had  served,  he 
went  with  his  men  into  the  city.  It  was  a  fortified  place 
with  walls  and  gates,  and  when  Saul  heard  that  he  had 
taken  up  his  abode  in  it,  he  immediately  conceived  the  plan 
of  laying  siege  to  it,  and  Catching  David  in  it  as  in  a  trap. 
He  said,  "  God  hath  delivered  him  into  mine  hand  "  (so  pi- 
ously sometimes  can  people  speak,  even  when  they  are  plot- 
ting blackest  crimes),  "for  he  is  shut  in,  by  entering  into  a 
town  that  hath  gates  and  bars."  But  not  thus  was  David  to 
be  destroyed ;  for  by  some  means  he  had  received  informa- 
tion as  to  Saul's  intentions,  and  he  had  recourse  at  once  to 
the  oracle  on  the  breastplate  of  Abiathar.  He  put  two 
questions,  from  the  answers  to  which  he  learned  that  Saul 
would  besiege  the  city,  and  that  the  men  of  Keilah  would 
deliver  him  up  into  the  hands  of  his  persecutor.  Therefore, 
leaving  Keilah,  he  and  his  company  went  forth  "  whitherso- 
ever they  could  go."  One  is  disposed  to  be  very  bitter  and 
indignant  at  the  ingratitude  of  those  whom  David  had  so  sig- 
nally befriended ;  yet  we  must  not  forget  that  Saul  was  still 


SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT.  121 

the  king,  that  he  had  many  resources  at  his  command,  and 
that,  with  the  massacre  of  Nob  before  their  minds,  the  peo- 
ple of  Keilah  had  nothing  but  destruction  to  expect,  if  they 
showed  any  kindness  whatever  to  the  son  of  Jesse.  Even 
with  all  these  risks,  however,  a  chivalrous  and  grateful  people 
would  have  suffered  any  thing  rather  than  give  their  de- 
liverer up.  But  the  men  of  Keilah  were  neither  chivalrous 
nor  grateful.  They  regarded  their  own  interests  as  supreme. 
Like  many  in  our  own  day,  they  might  profess  to  aim  after 
the  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest  number,  but  when  you 
came  to  analyze  their  views,  you  would  find  that  with  them, 
to  use  the  words  of  Joseph  Hume, "  the  greatest  number  was 
number  one !"  It  was  not  for  their  advantage  to  serve  Da- 
vid, and  they  did  not  serve  him  ;  and  I  am  free  to  say,  that 
all  my  observation  and  experience  convince  me  that  a  large 
proportion  of  the  present  generation  would  have  done  as 
they  were  willing  to  do.  Of  course  that  does  not  excuse 
them,  but  it  should  make  us  cautious  as  to  what  we  say  in 
their  condemnation,  lest,  haply,  we  may  some  day  be  judged 
out  of  our  own  mouths.  Gratitude,  chivalry,  enthusiasm 
for  the  cause  of  the  wronged — what  are  these  words  in  the 
mouths  of  many  to  -  day  but  words  ?  they  sound  well,  and 
they  are  very  fine  so  long  as  they  cost  nothing;  but  let  ad- 
herence to  them  put  property  or  life  in  peril,  and  too  many 
would  cling  to  the  property  and  the  life,  and  let  the  others 
go.  Ye  who  condemn  the  inhabitants  of  Keilah  because 
they  were  willing  to  betray  David,  how  long  would  you  show 
gratitude  at  the  risk  of  the  loss  of  all  things  ?  It  was  a  dis- 
grace to  them  that  they  would  not  stand  by  him  who  had 
delivered  them ;  but  is  it  any  thing  less  to  us,  when  we  allow 
our  worldly  interests  to  blind  us  to  the  obligations  under 
which  we  lie  to  those  who  befriended  us  in  our  time  of  need  ? 
Is  it  any  thing  less  to  us  when,  for  the  sake  of  fashion,  or 
fortune,  or  fame,  we  turn  our  backs  upon  the  Christ,  who 

6 


122  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

has  borne  the  agony  of  Gethsemane  and  Calvary  on  our  be- 
half? Idolatry  of  self  is  as  hideous  now  as  it  was  in  David's 
time.  Let  those  who  are  guilty  of  it,  therefore,  look  here, 
and,  in  the  pitiful  poltroonery  of  the  men  of  Keilah,  they  will 
see  how  mean  and  contemptible  they  look. 

But  the  ingratitude  of  men  only  threw  David  back  upon 
the  faithfulness  of  God.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  the 
3ist  Psalm  was  composed  by  him,  in  connection  with  the 
events  which  we  have  just  rehearsed,  and,  though  there  is 
nothing  in  the  title  of  that  ode  to  give  certainty  to  such  an 
opinion,  yet  the  internal  evidence  in  the  song  itself  is  very 
strong  in  its  behalf.  Thus,  when  you  remember  that  Keilah 
was  a  walled  city,  and  that  Saul's  purpose  was  to  shut  him  up 
in  it,  you  may  see  a  reference  to  these  things  in  the  follow- 
ing words:  "Thou  hast  known  my  soul  in  adversities;  and 
hast  not  shut  me  up  into  the  hand  of  the  enemy :  thou  hast 
set  my  feet  in  a  large  room."  So,  again,  without  any  strain- 
ing of  the  meaning,  there  may  be  an  allusion  to  Keilah  in 
this  verse,  "  Blessed  be  the  Lord  :  for  he  hath  showed  me  his 
marvelous  kindness  in  a  strong  city."  Now,  if  on  these  and 
similar  grounds,  we  connect  this  Psalm  with  the  events  of 
the  narrative  before  us,  there  is  much  in  it  to  reveal  David's 
spiritual  exercise  at  this  time.  With  what  absolute  trust  he 
puts  himself  into  Jehovah's  hands,  saying,  "Into  thine  hand 
I  commit  my  spirit :  thou  hast  redeemed  me,  O  Lord  God 
of  truth  •"  and  again,  "  I  trusted  in  thee,  O  Lord :  I  said, 
Thou  art  my  "  God.  My  times  are  in  thy  hand."  How 
earnestly  he  pleads  for  deliverance,  pouring  out  his  soul  in 
sorrowful  rehearsal  of  all  his  troubles  !  And  then,  in  the  last 
section  of  the  Psalm,  added,  if  we  may  indulge  the  conjecture, 
after  his  escape,  how  joyfully  he  praises  God  for  his  good- 
ness and  chides  himself  for  his  despondency !  "  For  I  said 
in  my  haste,  I  am  cut  off  from  before  thine  eyes  :  neverthe- 
less thou  heardest  the  voice  of  my  supplication  when  I  cried 


SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT. 


123 


unto  thee.  O  love  the  Lord,  all  ye  his  saints  :  for  the  Lord 
preserved!  the  faithful,  and  plentifully  rewardeth  the  proud 
doer.  Be  of  good  courage,  and  he  shall  strengthen  your 
heart,  all  ye  that  hope  in  the  Lord."  Trial  thus  is  rich  in 
results,  not  alone  to  him  who  bears  it,  but  to  others  who 
come  after  him.  He  leaves  words  of  cheer  behind  him, 
which,  falling  on  the  ears  of  others,  sustain  and  soothe  them 
in  like  circumstances.  The  stream  that  followed  the  Israel- 
ites in  their  wanderings  through  the  wilderness,  had  its 
source  in  the  smitten  rock ;  and  if  you  trace  up  every  rich 
experimental  psalm  which  has  refreshed  God's  people  in 
their  weary  heritage,  to  its  source,  you  will  find  it  in  some 
trial-smitten  heart.  David  was  sent  on  through  the  valley 
of  sorrow,  in  advance  of  others,  that  he  might  furnish  those 
who  followed  with  songs  in  their  night  of  trouble ;  and  if  it 
is -ever  permitted  to  the  spirits  of  the  blessed  in  Heaven 
to  know  what  is  going  on  here  below,  then,  when  David  from 
his  celestial  seat  heard  the  Redeemer  on  the  cross  relieve 
his  agony  and  dismiss  his  soul  from  its  fleshly  tabernacle,  in 
the  words  of  this  Keilah  Psalm,  "  Into  thine  hands  I  com- 
mit my  spirit,"  he  would  feel  that  it  was  worth  undergoing 
all  the  miseries  of  his  persecution  ten  thousand  times  over, 
to  have  been  thus  instrumental,  even  in  the  smallest  degree, 
in  sustaining  the  heart  of  Jesus  in  that  climax  of  his  anguish. 
But  we  must  hasten  forward.  When  Saul  learned  that 
David  had  gone  from  Keilah,  he  forbore  to  begin  the  siege, 
and  David  betook  himself  to  the  wilderness,  daily  pursued  by 
Saul,  and  at  length  finding  a  refuge  for  the  time  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Ziph.  This  was  a  town  in  the  highland  district  of 
Judah.  In  the  book  of  Joshua  it  is  named  between  Carmel 
and  Juttah,  and  from  the  narrative  before  us  we  learn  that 
there  was  in  its  neighborhood  a  wood  and  a  wilderness.  The 
wood  has  vanished,  but  the  wilderness  remains,  and  the  name 
Zif  is  found,  to  this  day,  belonging  to  a  rounded  hill  of  about 


124  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

one  hundred  feet  high,  which  is  situated  about  three  miles 
south  of  Hebron.  About  half  a  mile  to  the  east  of  this  hill 
are  some  ruins,  which  Dr.  Robinson  pronounced  to  be  those 
of  Ziph,  but  it  is  more  probable  that  the  hill  itself  was  the 
site  of  the  city. 

In  the  adjoining  wood  David  had  a  covert  from  observa- 
tion, so  that  he  eluded  the  vigilance  of  Saul.  But  what  the 
enmity  of  Saul  could  not  do,  the  love  of  Jonathan  accom- 
plished, for  by  some  means  he  got  to  know  where  David  was, 
and  in  this  wood,  sweet  because  stolen,  and  memorable  be- 
cause the  last  that  was  ever  held  between  the  two  friends  on 
earth,  a  most  affecting  interview  was  held.  As  we  read  these 
words:  "Jonathan  strengthened  David's  hands  in  God,  and 
he  said  unto  him,  Fear  not :  for  the  hand  of  Saul  my  father 
shall  not  find  thee ;  and  thou  shalt  be  king  over  Israel,  and  I 
shall  be  next  unto  thee,"  our  hearts  thrill  with  admiration  of 
the  son  of  Saul.  What  magnanimity  !  what  piety  !  what  af- 
fection !  what  humility !  have  we  in  these  words ;  and  who  is 
not  disposed  to  say,  amidst  the  trials  and  sufferings  of  earth, 
Oh  for  such  a  friend  !  Yet  there  is  a  better  friend  even  than 
he ;  and  if  we  will  but  make  a  covenant  with  Jesus,  he  will 
strengthen  our  hand  in  God,  and  be  to  us  a  richer  comforter 
than  Jonathan  was  to  David. 

But  while  Saul's  son  was  proving  his  steadfastness  to  Da- 
vid, the  men  of  Ziph  were  plotting  his  destruction.  They 
sent  and  told  Saul  of  his  hiding-place,  and  he,  in  a  strain  of 
grossest  adulation,  thanked  them  for  their  information,  and 
asked  them  to  give  him  particular  directions  as  to  his  move- 
ments, that  he  might  come  and  take  him.  Very  soon  they 
found  out,  and  told  Saul  that  he  was  in  the  wilderness  of 
Maon — a  name  which,  almost  unchanged,  is  given  now  to  a 
conical  hill  about  seven  miles  south  of  Hebron,  so  that  proba- 
bly that  is  the  very  place  here  called  the  Hill  of  Maon.  When 
Saul  heard  this,  he  followed  David,  and,  from  the  description 


SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT.  125 

given,  we  gather  that  the  position  of  things  was  something 
like  the  following:  David  was  on  one  side  of  the  hill;  Saul 
and  his  men  were  on  the  other ;  but,  with  the  view  of  making 
sure  of  his  adversaries'  destruction,  Saul  caused  his  army  to 
surround  the  entire  base  of  the  mountain,  and  determined  to 
remain  there  until,  by  sheer  necessity,  David  would  be  com- 
pelled to  surrender  himself  into  his  hands. 

But  David  had  a  protector  of  whom  Saul  took  no  thought, 
and  to  him  he  made  appeal,  for,  as  we  learn  from  its  title,  it 
was  while  he  was  thus  surrounded  by  Saul's  forces  that  he 
wrote  and  sang  the  54th  Psalm.  I  can  not  refrain  from  quot- 
ing it  entire.  "  Save  me,  O  God,  by  thy  name,  and  judge  me 
by  thy  strength.  Hear  my  prayer,  O  God ;  give  ear  to  the 
words  of  my  mouth.  For  strangers  are  risen  up  against 
me,  and  oppressors  seek  after  my  soul :  they  have  not  set 
God  before  them.  Behold,  God  is  mine  helper :  the  Lord  is 
with  them  that  uphold  my  soul.  He  shall  reward  evil  unto 
mine  enemies  :  cut  them  off  in  thy  truth.  I  will  freely  sacri- 
fice unto  thee :  I  will  praise  thy  name,  O  Lord ;  for  it  is  good. 
For  he  hath  delivered  me  out  of  all  trouble :  and  mine  eye 
hath  seen  his  desire  upon  mine  enemies."  That  is  the  prayer; 
now  read  the  history,  and  you  have  the  answer  to  it :  "But 
there  came  a  messenger  unto  Saul,  saying,  Haste  thee,  and 
come;  for  the  Philistines  have  invaded  the  land.  Wherefore 
Saul  returned  from  pursuing  after  David,  and  went  against 
the  Philistines :  therefore  they  called  that  place  Sela-ham- 
mahlekoth" — the  Rock  of  Divisions,  as  it  is  given  in  the 
margin,  or,  as  some  prefer  to  render  it,  the  Rock  of  Escape. 

Thus  as,  at  a  later  date,  Rabshakeh  was  drawn  off  from  his 
attack  on  Hezekiah  by  hearing  a  rumor  of  an  assault  on  his 
own  land,  and  the  prayer  of  the  good  Jewish  king  for  deliv- 
erance was  answered ;  so  here,  David  was  set  free,  because 
Saul  and  his  men  were  needed  elsewhere,  to  repel  an  invasion 
of  the  Philistines.  Many  would  call  this  a  mere  coincidence ; 


126  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

but  the  unprejudiced  reader  can  not  fail  to  see  in  it  an  an- 
swer to  David's  supplication,  and  it  was  doubtless  in  the  spir- 
it of  heartfelt  gratitude  to  God  that  he  called  the  mountain 
by  this  significant  name. 

Now,  in  reviewing  the  history  over  which  we  have  come, 
we  have  clearly  brought  before  us  the  good  man'^  resort 
in  perplexity.  Even  the  most  careless  must  be  struck  with 
the  frequent  recurrence  in  this  chapter  of  the  phrase,  "  Da- 
vid inquired  of  the  Lord ;"  and  although  we  have  now  no 
Urim  and  Thummim,  yet  we  have  the  Throne  of  Grace,  to 
which  we  can  ever  repair,  with  the  assured  confidence  that 
God  will  hear  our  cry,  and  send  us  an  answer  which  shall 
meet  our  need. 

Many  objections,  indeed,  have  been  brought,  in  these  days, 
against  the  possibility  of  God's  answering  prayer  except  by 
miracle ;  and  learned  treatises  have  been  written  on  both 
sides  of  this  important  question.  To  me,  however,  it  seems 
as  if  there  were  no  room  for  much  argument  upon  the  sub- 
ject, for  if  a  man  does  not  believe  that  there  is  a  personal 
God,  standing  in  the  relation  of  a  father  to  his  people  on  the 
earth,  there  is  no  use  to  reason  with  him  about  prayer.  You 
have  to  begin  with  him  farther  back,  and  convince  him  first 
of  the  folly  of  his  atheism.  If,  again,  a  man  does  really  and 
truly  believe  that  God  is,  and  is  the  father  of  his  people,  you 
will  not  need  to  argue  with  him,  for  as  the  son  goes  to  his  fa- 
ther, he  will  repair  to  God,  and  expect  that  God's  fatherhood 
is  a  reality,  and  not  a  mere  name.  He  will  say,  and  no  phi- 
losophy in  the  world  will  prevent  him,  if  God  is  my  father, 
then,  since  my  earthly  father  hears  my  cry  and  gives  me  an 
answer,  much  more  will  my  heavenly.  The  whole  debate 
about  prayer,  therefore,  is  but  a  skirmish  on  one  of  the  far 
outposts  of  the  field  whereon  the  war  between  belief  and  un- 
belief is  waging.  The  real  question  is  about  God's  existence 
and  fatherhood.  Until  men  can  say,  believingly,  "  Our  Fa- 


SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT.  127 

ther,"  they  will  never  pray ;  when  they  can  say  that  sincere- 
ly, they  will  pray  in  spite  of  all  scientific  difficulties. 

But  it  is  well  occasionally  to  remind  scientific  objectors 
of  one  of  the  first  principles  of  their  own  inductive  philoso- 
phy. After  Newton  had  elaborated  one  of  his  theories,  a 
friend  discovered  something  that  seemed  to  be  inconsistent 
with  it,  and  was  almost  afraid  to  mention  it  to  him  ;  but 
when  the  philosopher  heard  it,  he  only  said,  "  It  may  be  so. 
We  must  see  whether  what  you  say  is  a  fact.  There  is  no 
arguing  against  a  fact."  Now  here  is  a  prayer  offered  by 
David,  and  an  answer  given  in  the  turning  of  Saul's  force 
into  another  direction,  and  there  was  no  miracle,  but  you  say 
that  was  three  thousand  years  ago ;  we  want  something  that 
has  occurred  among  ourselves.  Be  it  so.  Then  take  these 
two  instances — the  most  recent  that  have  come  within  my 
own  information.  Being  in  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  ten 
clays  ago,  I  saw  a  letter  written  from  a  Western  city  to  a  con- 
vict in  the  State-prison  of  Massachusetts,  by  one  who  had 
been  himself  for  some  time  an  inmate  of  that  jail.  The  per- 
son to  whom  he  wrote  had  committed  burglary,  but  was  hope- 
fully converted  in  the  prison,  and  had  tried  to  benefit  some 
of  his  fellow -prisoners.  His  correspondent  had  been  im- 
pressed with  his  words,  and  was  wishing,  after  his  release,  to 
live  another  life.  With  this  object  he  went  West,  but  found 
it  hard  to  get  on.  His  money  was  gone  ;  there  seemed  to 
him  only  two  alternatives — either  starvation,  or  crime ;  but 
— and  here  I  must  tell  the  story  in  his  own  words,  rude 
though  they  may  seem  to  ears  polite :  "  I  thought  of  what 
you  once  said  about  a  fellow's  calling  on  the  Lord  when  he 
was  in  hard  luck,  and  I  thought  I  would  try  it  once,  any 
how ;  but  when  I  tried  it,  I  got  stuck  on  the  start,  and  all  I 
could  get  off  was, '  Lord,  give  a  poor  fellow  a  chance  to  square 
it  for  three  months,  for  Christ's  sake.  Amen;'  and  I  kept 
a-thinking  of  it  over  and  over  as  I  went  along.  About  an 


128  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

hour  after  that  I  was  in  Fourth  Street ;  and  this  is  what  hap- 
pened :  As  I  was  walking  along  I  heard  a  big  noise,  and 
saw  a  horse  running  away  with  a  carriage,  with  two  children 
in  it.  I  grabbed  up  a  piece  of  box-cover  from  the  sidewalk, 
and  ran  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  and,  when  the  horse 
came  up,  I  smashed  him  over  the  head  as  hard  as  I  could 
drive.  The  board  split  to  pieces,  and  the  horse  checked  up 
a  little,  and  I  grabbed  the  reins,  and  pulled  his  head  down 
until  he  stopped."  He  then  tells  how  the  gentleman  to 
whom  the  children  belonged  rewarded  him  very  handsomely, 
and,  after  hearing  his  story,  befriended  him,  and  helped  him 
into  a  respectable  situation  where  he  could  earn  an  honest 
living ;  so  that  he  is  now  not  only  a  good  citizen,  but  an 
humble  Christian.* 

From  Springfield  I  went  on  to  Boston,  and  there  a  well- 
known  member  of  the  American  Board  showed  me  the  auto- 
biography of  the  Japanese  youth  Joseph,  who  has  been  in 
this  country  for  some  years,  and  was  lately  the  secretary  of 
Mr.  Tenako,  the  member  of  the  Japanese  Embassy  who  was 
especially  charged  with  the  subject  of  education.  In  his  own 
country,  Joseph's  father  was  secretary  to  one  of  the  native 
princes,  and  he  himself  was  an  officer  of  two  swords,  and  had 
a  good  education,  being  acquainted  with  two  or  three  lan- 
guages. A  friend  lent  him  an  American  Common  School 
Geography  in  the  Chinese  language  and  a  Chinese  Bible,  and 
these  two  books  opened  up  a  new  world  to  him.  He  described 
what  he  felt  on  reading  the  first  verse  of  Genesis,  which  un- 
folded to  him  an  entirely  new  view  of  things,  and  then  he  went 
on  to  tell  how  the  desire  to  know  Western  civilization  and 
Christianity  took  possession  of  his  soul.  His  first  prayer 


*  Since  the  above  was  written,  the  whole  letter  here  referred  to  has 
been  printed  in  the  Illustrated  Christian  Weekly  newspaper  for  one  of  the 
weeks  in  August,  1873. 


SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT.  129 

was,  "  O  God,  if  thou  have  eyes,  look  for  me.  O  God,  if  thou 
have  ears,  hear  me.  I  want  to  know  Bible.  I  want  to  be 
civilized  with  Bible."  He  left  his  home,  and  went  to  Haka- 
dadi,  with  the  view  of  getting  somehow  to  America,  to  learn 
this  knowledge.  He  went  thence  to  China,  and  in  the 
port  to  which  he  went,  he  was  led  by  God's  providence  to 
a  ship  which  was  bound  for  Boston,  and  which  was  owned 
by  a  good  man  whose  heart  was  interested  in  the  cause  of 
Christ.  That  gentleman,  on  the  arrival  of  his  ship,  hearing 
the  captain's  account  of  Joseph,  was  interested  in  him;  and 
his  wife  undertook  to  have  him  educated  at  her  own  expense. 
He  went  first  to  Andover,  and  then  to  Amherst;  became  a 
member  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  an  excellent  scholar; 
and  when  the  Japanese  Embassy  came  to  this  country,  he 
who,  like  Joseph,  had  been  sent  on  before  them,  was  prepared 
to  be  their  interpreter;  and  who  shall  say  what  he  is  yet 
destined  to  do  for  his  benighted  nation  ?*  Thus,  winding 
round  the  roots  of  that  great  revolution  in  Japan  which  has 
so  astonished  and  gladdened  the  hearts  of  us  all,  we  find  the 
prayers  of  this  earnest  youth  who  was  thirsting  for  the  knowl- 
edge of  God.  I  might  say  much  on  many  subjects  which 
this  little  history  suggests,  but  I  bring  it  up  now  as  a  fact, 
indicating  how  really,  and  without  a  miracle,  through  God's 
ordinary  providence,  prayer  is  answered.  Truly,  "more 
things  are  wrought  by  prayer  than  this  world  dreams  of." 
Let  no  man,  therefore,  ridicule  and  reason  you  out  of  prayer. 
Here  is  the  charter  :  "  If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him 
ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth 
not ;  and  it  shall  be  given  him.  But  let  him  ask  in  faith, 
nothing  wavering :  for  he  that  wavereth  is  like  a  wave  of  the 
sea  driven  with  the  wind  and  tossed.  For  let  not  that  man 


*  This  youth,  now  the  Rev.  Joseph  Nee  Sima,  is  about  to  sail  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  his  native  land,  under  the  direction  of  the  American  Board. 

6* 


130  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

think  that  he  shall  receive  any  thing  of  the  Lord  !"  "  Ask, 
and  it  shall  be  given  you ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock, 
and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you." 

But  we  have,  in  this  chapter  of  David's  history,  also  a 
beautiful  illustration  of  the  fruitfulness  of  trial  when  it  is 
rightly  borne.  It  prunes  the  vine  of  the  spiritual  life,  so 
that  the  clusters  that  grow  on  it  attain  to  larger  develop- 
ment. This  is  true  of  all  the  graces.  But  to-night  I  wish 
especially  to  show  you  how  David's  times  of  trial  were  em- 
phatically and  peculiarly  times  of  song.  We  have  found 
in  the  narrative  over  which  we  have  come,  covering  only  a 
short  space  of  his  life,  the  origin  of  no  fewer  than  three  of 
his  Psalms.  That  which  is  most  valuable  in  the  writings  of 
any  poet  is  the  fruit  of  some  troublous  discipline.  It  is 
questionable  if  the  world  would  have  ever  seen  "  Paradise 
Lost,"  but  for  the  blindness  of  its  author ;  and  it  is  at  least 
certain,  that  one  of  its  most  touching  passages  could  not 
have  been  written  but  for  that  terrible  privation.  Luther's 
version  of  the  46th  Psalm,  which  one  has  called  "  The  Mar- 
seillaise of  the  Reformation,"  was  born  out  of  the  stormy 
life  of  the  great  Reformer ;  and  Archbishop  Trench,  writing 
of  the  Thirty  Years'  War  in  Germany,  has  said :  "  There  is 
one  fact  most  noteworthy,  as  a  sign  of  the  temper  in  which 
this  great  tribulation  was  met  by  those  who  had  to  drink 
of  its  cup  of  pain  deeper,  perhaps,  than  any  other,  that  very 
many  of  the  most  glorious  compositions  in  the  hymn-book 
of  Protestant  Germany  date  from  the  period  of  the  Thirty 
Years'  War ;  and,  most  noticeable  of  all,  these  contributions 
are  rich,  not  so  much,  as  one  might  have  expected,  in  threnes 
and  lamentations,  Misereres  and  cries  De  Profundis,  as  in  Te 
Deums  and  Magnificats,  hymns  of  high  hope  and  holy  joy.* 

*  "  Thirty  Years'  War  in  Germany,"  by  Archbishop  Trench,  quoted 
in  Saunders's  "  Evenings  with  the  Sacred  Poets,"  pp.  140,  141. 


SONGS  IN  THE  NIGHT.  131 

Who  knows  not,  also,  that  Paul  Gerhardt's  hymn,  "Give  to 
the  winds  thy  fears,"  was  the  cry  of  his  soul  in  an  hour 
of  greatest  extremity;  or  that  the  ode  of  Cowper,  begin- 
ning, "  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way,"  was  the  last  sane 
utterance  of  his  mind,  as  the  cloud  which  darkened  his 
reason  was  settling  over  his  spirit  ?  "  The  dear  cross,"  said 
Rist, "  has  pressed  many  songs  out  of  me."  A  friend,  speak- 
ing to  Mr.  Whittier  about  a  well-known  hymn,  and  express- 
ing to  him  his  appreciation  of  it  as  beyond  all  his  other  po- 
ems, received  this  answer  from  the  poet :  "  I  do  not  wonder 
at  your  preference ;  that  hymn  was  born  out  of  the  utter- 
most anguish  of  my  heart."*  Thus  the  Church  has  been 
enriched,  and  the  souls  of  all  its  members  refreshed,  by 
the  recorded  experiences  of  those  who  have  clung  to  God 
through  trial.  Thus,  too,  we  are  taught  to  hold  fast  by  Him 
who  supported  these  sweet  singers  of  the  sanctuary,  and  set 


*  The  poem  here  referred  to  is  that  on  page  450  of  the  first  volume 
of  his  collected  works.  Some  of  its  verses  have  been  inserted  as  a 
hymn  in  "  The  Sabbath  Hymn-book."  We  quote  these  four  stanzas  : 

"  I  ask  not  now  for  gold  to  gild, 

With  mocking  shine,  a  weary  frame  ; 
The  yearning  of  the  mind  is  stilled — 
I  ask  not  now  for  fame. 

"But,  bowed  in  lowliness  of  mind, 

I  make  my  humble  wishes  known : 
I  only  ask  a  will  resigned, 
O  Father  !  to  thine  own. 

"  In  vain  I  task  my  aching  brain  ; 

In  vain  the  sage's  thought  I  scan  ; 
I  only  feel  how  weak  and  vain, 
How  poor  and  blind  is  man  ! 

"And  now  my  spirit  sighs  for  home, 

And  longs  for  light  whereby  to  see, 
And  like  a  weary  child  would  come, 
O  Father,  unto  thee  !" 


132  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

them  forth  before  us,  that  they  might  be  our  helpers.  Nay, 
more :  thus  are  we  reminded  that  the  very  clasping  of  Jeho- 
vah's hand  by  the  weary  and  the  wayworn  believer  is  itself, 
in  the  estimation  of  God,  a  holy  hymn,  a  song  rising  up  to 
him  out  of  the  night,  and  making  a  deeper  impression  in 
his  heart,  because  of  the  silence  and  the  darkness  out  of 
which  it  emerges.  The  poetry  is  not  in  the  verbal  expres- 
sion of  the  song  so  much  as  in  the  experience  it  sings ;  and 
if  sometimes  there  is  a  powerful  prayer  in  the  falling  of  a 
tear,  be  sure  there  is  as  often  a  sacred  song  in  the  light  that 
flashes  from  the  grateful  eye,  or  the  smile  that  radiates  the 
happy  countenance  of  him  who  is  looking  unto  Jesus.  Let 
us  bear  trials  as  David  did,  trusting  in  the  Lord.  Let  us  go 
through  the  world,  clinging  to  Jesus  in  all  our  varying  expe- 
riences ;  and  though  we  may  not  be  able  to  write  psalms, 
our  lives  shall  be  each  a  book  of  hymns,  rising  gradually  up 
to  that  new  "song  of  pure  content,  aye  sung  before  the 
sapphire  throne  with  saintly  shout  and  solemn  jubilee," 
"  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and 
riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and 
blessing." 


VIII. 

CA  VE    SONGS. 
i  SAMUEL  xxiv. ;  xxvi. 

A  FTER  their  escape  from  Saul  in  the  wilderness  of  Maon, 
2~\.  David  and  his  men  betook  themselves  to  "  the  strong- 
holds of  En-gedi."  This  place,  now  identified  with  "Ain- 
Jidy,"  was  situated  on  the  western  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
about  midway  between  its  northern  and  southern  extremities. 
The  name  literally  signifies  "the  fountain  of  the  goat,"  and 
doubtless  had  its  origin  in  the  fact  that  the  neighborhood 
abounded  in  goats,  attracted  by  the  verdure  which  here  lines 
the  banks  of  a  stream  that  issues  from  the  limestone  rock 
about  four  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  lake,  at  a  tem- 
perature of  81°,  and  "rushes  down  the  steep  descent,  fretted 
by  many  a  rugged  crag,  and  raining  its  spray  over  verdant 
borders  of  acacia,  mimosa,  and  lotus."*  The  cliffs  in  the  neigh- 
borhood are  full  of  natural  caverns,  in  one  or  more  of  which 
the  company  of  David  found  a  lurking-place.  These  caves, 
says  Dr.  Thomson,f  "are  dark  as  midnight,  and  the  keenest 
eye  can  not  see  five  paces  inward ;  but  one  who  has  been 
long  within,  and  is  looking  outward  toward  the  entrance,  can 
observe  with  perfect  distinctness  all  that  takes  place  in  that 
direction." 

We  can  thus  easily  imagine  the  gloomy  interior.  Along 
the  sides  of  the  cavern,  enjoying  themselves  in  one  or  other 
of  the  many  ways  which  soldiers  have  of  amusing  themselves, 

*  Smith's  "  Dictionary,"  sub  voce. 

t  "  The  Land  and  the  Book,"  p.  603,  English  edition. 


134  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

the  motley  multitude  of  David's  men  are  scattered ;  while  far 
away  in  the  innermost  recesses  of  the  cave,  David  is  to  be 
found  alone,  or  with  Gad  and  Abiathar  as  his  companions, 
soothing  his  heart  with  the  strains  of  his  harp,  and  accom- 
panying the  music*  with  the  words  of  the  1426.  Psalm,  which 
was  first  sung  either  here  or  in  Adullam.  Let  us  read  it,  and 
see  how,  as  in  the  pictures  of  Rembrandt,  the  very  darkness 
gives  to  it  a  character  that  is  all  its  own.  "  I  cried  unto  the 
Lord  with  my  voice  ;  with  my  voice  unto  the  Lord  did  I  make 
my  supplication.  I  poured  out  my  complaint  before  him  •  I 
showed  before  him  my  trouble.  When  my  spirit  was  over- 
whelmed within  me,  then  thou  knewest  my  path.  In  the  way 
wherein  I  walked  have  they  privily  laid  a  snare  for  me.  I 
looked  on  my  right  hand,  and  beheld,  but  there  was  no  man 
that  would  know  me :  refuge  failed  me ;  no  man  cared  for  my 
soul.  I  cried  unto  thee,  O  Lord :  I  said,  Thou  art  my  refuge 
and  my  portion  in  the  land  of  the  living.  Attend  unto  my 
cry  j  for  I  am  brought  very  low :  deliver  me  from  my  perse- 
cutors ;  for  they  are  stronger  than  I.  Bring  my  soul  out  of 
prison,  that  I  may  praise  thy  name :  the  righteous  shall  com- 
pass me  about;  for  thou  shalt  deal  bountifully  with  me." 

There  is  in  all  this  much  of  that  "  rapid  stroke  as  of  alter- 
nate wings,"  that  "  heaving  and  sinking  as  of  the  troubled 
heart,"  which  Ewald*  has  so  aptly  described  as  the  essence  of 
the  parallelism  of  Hebrew  poetry ;  while  in  the  closing  strophe 
the  faith  which  underlies  the  whole  prayer  comes  forth,  like  a 
daisy  emerging  from  the  grass,  and  opening  its  petals  to  the 
morning  sun.  The  night  had  made  it  bend  its  head,  and 
covered  it  with  dew-drops ;  and  now,  as  it  lifts  itself  up  to 
greet  the  dawn,  the  tears  of  the  darkness  have  become  the 
diamonds  that  encircle  its  crimson-pointed  coronet. 

To  the  same  chapter  of  David's  life  belongs  the  57th 

*  Quoted  by  Stanley,  "Jewish  Church,"  vol.  ii.,  148. 


CAVE  SONGS.  135 

Psalm,  which  we  shall  also  read.  "  Be  merciful  unto  me, 
O  God,  be  merciful  unto  me  :  for  my  soul  trusteth  in  thee : 
yea,  in  the  shadow  of  thy  wings  will  I  make  my  refuge,  until 
these  calamities  be  overpast.  I  will  cry  unto  God  most  high  ; 
unto  God  that  performeth  all  things  for  me.  He  shall  send 
from  heaven,  and  save  me  from  the  reproach  of  him  that 
would  swallow  me  up.  God  shall  send  forth  his  mercy  and 
his  truth.  My  soul  is  among  lions :  and  I  lie  even  among 
them  that  are  set  on  fire,  even  the  sons  of  men,  whose  teeth 
are  spears  and  arrows,  and  their  tongue  a  sharp  sword.  Be 
thou  exalted,  O  God,  above  the  heavens ;  let  thy  glory  be 
above  all  the  earth.  They  have  prepared  a  net  for  my  steps ; 
my  soul  is  bowed  down :  they  have  digged  a  pit  before  me, 
into  the  midst  whereof  they  are  fallen  themselves.  My 
heart  is  fixed,  O  God ;  my  heart  is  fixed :  I  will  sing  and  give 
•praise.  Awake  up,  my  glory;  awake,  psaltery  and  harp:  I 
myself  will  awake  early.  I  will  praise  thee,  O  Lord,  among 
the  people :  I  will  sing  unto  thee  among  the  nations.  For 
thy  mercy  is  great  unto  the  heavens,  and  thy  truth  unto  the 
clouds.  Be  thou  exalted,  O  God,  above  the  heavens  :  let  thy 
glory  be  above  all  the  earth." 

When  the  hawk  is  in  the  air,  the  young  bird  seeks  the  shel- 
ter of  the  mother's  outspread  wings.  When  danger  is  impend- 
ing, the  child  clings  to  the  hand  of  his  father.  So,  when  re- 
proach and  persecution  come  upon  David,  he  takes  refuge  in 
his  God.  How  simple  is  his  trust  as  here  expressed  !  How 
entire  his  absorption  of  his  own  welfare  in  God's  glory !  and 
then,  rising  out  of  this  self-abnegation,  how  lofty  the  strain  of 
praise  with  which  he  concludes !  The  lark,  whose  nest  is  on 
the  ground,  rises,  singing,  as  he  soars,  to  the  greatest  heaven- 
ly height,  until  all  but  unseen  he  rains  a  shower  of  melody 
upon  the  listening  earth.  So,  up  from  this  lowest  depth  of 
suffering  and  distress,  David  rises  to  his  loftiest  ecstasy  of 
praise,  shaming  the  cold-heartedness  of  many  in  these  days 


136  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

on  whose  lips  "  hosannas  languish,"  and  in  whose  hearts  de- 
votion all  but  dies.  Nor  for  himself  alone  was  David  led 
through  such  experiences.  God  had  set  him  forth,  that  in 
him,  a  needy  and  forlorn  one  in  the  very  extremest  degree, 
he  might  show  his  loving-kindness,  "  for  a  pattern  to  them 
which  should  hereafter  believe  on  him."  Accordingly,  these 
cave  Psalms  have  awakened  responsive  echoes  in  the  hearts 
of  multitudes  in  every  age.  When  those  of  whom  the  world 
was  not  worthy  "wandered  in  deserts  and  in  mountains,  and 
in  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth,"  no  words  could  so  bear  up 
the  burden  of  their  hearts  to  God  as  those  which  I  have  just 
read.  They  were  chanted,  it  may  be,  by  Paul  and  Silas  in 
the  prison  of  Philippi,  and  by  the  early  Christians  in  the  Ro- 
man catacombs.  They  were  sung,  in  their  own  rugged  yet 
expressive  version,  by  the  Scottish  Covenanters,  on  the  bleak 
hill-side,  or  in  the  wild  moor-land,  or  in  the  dark  and  lonely 
cave.  When  Sir  Patrick  Hume  lay  hid  in  the  family  sepul- 
chral vault,  or  in  the  hole  dug  for  him  by  his  own  daughter 
beneath  his  house,  he  tells  us  that  when  he  had  no  light,  he 
beguiled  the  hours  by  repeating  to  himself  Buchanan's  ver- 
sion of  the  Psalms,  which  in  former  days  of  prosperity  he  had 
committed  to  memory;  and  Christian  sufferers  everywhere, 
in  times  of  revolution  or  danger,  when  fleeing  before  their 
enemies,  have  turned  instinctively  to  these  odes,  and  to  oth- 
ers of  similar  character  in  the  sacred  Psalter.  "There  is  not 
a  day,"  says  Edwards,  in  his  "  Personal  Narrative  of  the  In- 
dian Mutiny,"*  "  in  which  we  do  not  find  something  in  the 
Psalms  that  appears  written  specially  for  our  unhappy 
circumstances,  to  meet  the  wants  and  feelings  of  the  day." 
Thus,  as  face  answereth  to  face  in  a  glass,  so  doth  the  heart 
of  believer  to  believer  in  religious  experience ;  and  these 
cave  Psalms  which  David  has  left,  are  but  like  speaking-tubes 

*  "Jewish  Church,"  quoted  by  Stanley,  vol.  ii.,  pp.  145,  165. 


CAVE  SONGS.  137 

in  the  chamber  of  affliction,  through  which  we,  as  well  as  oth- 
ers, may  send  up  our  cry  to  him  who  is  our  Helper. 

When  Saul  had  returned  from  his  campaign  against  the 
Philistines,  and  was  informed  that  David  had  gone  to  En- 
gedi,  he  immediately  set  out  with  three  thousand  men,  deter- 
mined to  effect  his  destruction.  But,  so  far  from  accomplish- 
ing his  purpose,  he  was  in  a  singular  way  put  entirely  into 
David's  power.  Seeking  relief  from  the  midday  heat,  and 
desiring  to  refresh  himself  with  slumber,  he  went,  all  unwit- 
tingly, into  the  very  cavern  in  which  David  and  his  men 
were  concealed.  Going  from  the  light  and  looking  inward, 
it  was  impossible  that  he  should  see  them,  but  accustomed  as 
they  had  become  to  the  darkness,  and  looking,  as  they  were 
from  the  back  part  of  the  cave  out  toward  the  dim  light  at  its 
mouth,  they  could  see  him  perfectly.  David's  companions 
regarded  it  as  a  special  opportunity  of  ridding  themselves 
of  their  adversary,  and  sought  to  persuade  their  leader  to  kill 
him.  "  Behold,"  said  they,  "  the  day  of  which  the  Lord  said 
unto  thee  :  Behold  I  will  deliver  thine  enemy  into  thine 
hand,  that  thou  mayest  do  to  him  as  it  shall  seem  good  unto 
thee."  But  David  could  not  bring  himself  so  to  regard  it. 
There  was  still  to  him  a  "  divinity  hedging "  the  king,  as 
the  anointed  of  the  Lord,  and  he  would  not  suffer  himself 
to  violate  the  sanctity  of  Saul's  person.  His  attitude  was 
entirely  defensive,  and  to  slay  Saul  in  cold  blood,  however 
much  there  might  have  been  in  Oriental  usages  to  sanction 
it,  would  have  been  in  his  view  not  merely  murder  but  sac- 
rilege. No  doubt  it  might  be  said  that  God  had  rejected 
Saul,  and  had  caused  David  to  be  anointed  in  his  room  ; 
but  that  had  not  given  to  David  the  right  to  deal  summari- 
ly with  Saul :  it  had  only  indicated  that  when,  in  the  course 
of  providence,  Saul  should  be  removed,  David  would  be  set 
upon  his  throne.  For  this,  therefore,  David  would  wait. 
He  would  not  take  providence  into  his  own  hands.  He 


138  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

would  bide  God's  time,  and  it  should  not  be  said  of  him 
that  he  had  come  into  the  kingdom  by  the  assassination  of 
his  predecessor.  So  he  stood  firm  against  the  entreaties  of 
his  men,  and  would  not  slay  the  king.  He  contented  him- 
self with  cutting  off  a  portion  of  Saul's  robe,  a  thing  which  in 
the  circumstances  he  could  easily  do  without  disturbing  his 
repose.  But  even  this  caused  him  some  misgivings  of  heart, 
the  rather,  as  perhaps,  after  he  had  done  it,  his  men,  embold- 
ened by  his  example,  might  have  felt  themselves  at  liberty  to 
go  farther,  and  lay  hands  on  the  king  himself.  If  any  such 
disposition  was  manifested  by  them,  it  was  immediately  re- 
pressed by  their  leader,  and  so,  altogether  unconscious  of 
the  danger  to  which  he  had  been  exposed,  Saul  slept  on,  un- 
til, thoroughly  refreshed,  he  rose  and  passed  out  of  the  cave 
to  join  his  troops.  He  was  followed  by  David,  with  the  skirt 
of  his  robe  in  his  hand,  who  cried  after  him,  "My  lord,  the 
king !"  and  bowed  before  him  with  his  face  to  the  earth. 

It  was  a  bold  thing  to  do  ;  and  one  hardly  knows  which  to 
admire  the  more,  the  magnanimity  that  spared  Saul  in  the 
cave,  or  the  valor  that  braved  him  and  his  troops  outside  of 
it.  But  often  the  bolder  course  is  the  wiser,  and  the  cour- 
age of  a  man  in  placing  himself  in  the  very  midst  of  his  en- 
emies, so  surprises  them  that  they  never  think  of  doing  him 
harm.  Thus  it  seems  to  have  been  in  the  present  instance ; 
for,  as  David  stands  before  Saul,  and  proceeds  to  plead  his 
cause  with  him,  no  one  of  the  royal  troops  interferes,  and  the 
king  himself  is  deeply  moved — but  it  is  with  sorrow  rather 
than  revenge.  And  it  was  no  marvel  that  such  an  effect 
was  produced  upon  him,  for  seldom  has  a  more  tender,  ear- 
nest, manly,  and  candid  appeal  been  made  by  one  man  to 
another,  than  that  which  David  here  addressed  to  Saul.  He 
complained  that  the  king  had  listened  to  unscrupulous  men, 
who  had  laid  to  his  charge  things  which  his  soul  abhorred. 
He  denied  that  he  had  ever  in  any  way  sought  the  king's 


CAVE  SONGS.  139 

hurt,  and  as  a  proof  he  pointed  to  the  skirt  which  he  held  in 
his  hand,  and  which  he  had  taken  from  the  royal  robe,  when 
he  might  just  as  easily  have  cut  off  his  head.  Then,  rising 
into  solemn  expostulation,  he  placed  the  issue  between  them 
on  its  real  merits,  by  appealing  to  Jehovah,  saying,  "  The 
Lord  judge  between  me  and  thee,  and  the  Lord  'avenge  me 
of  thee  :  but  mine  hand  shall  not  be  upon  thee."  He  affirm- 
ed that  he  was  altogether  unworthy  even  of  Saul's  enmity, 
and  that  the  king  might  find  something  more  dignified  to 
do,  than  to  come  out  after  such  an  insignificant  person  as  he 
was.  Then,  coming  round  again  to  their  common  responsi- 
bility to  God,  he  concluded  by  placing  his  cause  implicitly  in 
the  hands  of  the  Lord.  As  he  finished,  Saul  burst  into  tears, 
and  cried,  "  Is  this  thy  voice,  my  son  David  ?  Thou  art 
more  righteous  than  I :  for  thou  hast  rewarded  me  good, 
whereas  I  have  rewarded  thee  evil.  And  thou  hast  showed 
this  clay  how  that  thou  hast  dealt  well  with  me  :  forasmuch 
as  when  the  Lord  had  delivered  me  into  thine  hand,  thou 
killedst  me  not.  For  if  a  man  find  his  enemy,  will  he  let  him 
go  well  away  ?  wherefore  the  Lord  reward  thee  good  for  that 
thou  hast  done  unto  me  this  clay.  And  now,  behold,  I  know 
well  that  thou  shalt  surely  be  king,  and  that  the  kingdom  of 
Israel  shall  be  established  in  thine  hand.  Swear  now  there- 
fore unto  me  by  the  Lord,  that  thou  wilt  not  cut  off  my 
seed  after  me,  and  that  thou  wilt  not  destroy  my  name  out 
of  my  father's  house."  This  oath  David  willingly  took,  and 
Saul,  drawing  off  his  men  with  him,  went  home.  Yet  David, 
reluctant  to  trust  himself  to  the  keeping  of  one  so  mercurial 
and  spasmodic  as  he  knew  Saul  to  be,  would  not  forsake 
his  stronghold,  but  returned  into  the  cave. 

And  it  was  well  that  he  did  so,  for  Saul  did  not  long  con- 
tinue in  this  gracious  mood ;  and  a  very  short  while  after, 
we  have  a  scene  between  him  and  David  not  unlike  that 
which  we  have  just  witnessed.  It  is  described  in  the  twen- 


140  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ty-sixth  chapter  of  i  Samuel;  but  it  may  be  convenient  to 
take  it  now,  leaving  the  intervening  narrative  to  be  consid- 
ered afterward. 

In  the  course  of  his  wanderings  David  came  once  again 
to  Hachilah,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ziph ;  and  the  inhab- 
itants of  that  city,  disappointed,  perhaps,  at  the  failure  of  their 
former  attempt,  sent  again  to  Saul  to  tell  him  where  he  was. 
The  result  was  that  Saul  came  forth  with  his  troops,  expect- 
ing to  take  him,  as  he  doubtless  would  have  done  on  the  first 
occasion,  if  he  had  not  been  called  away  to  attack  the  Philis- 
tines. But,  wiser  from  his  former  experience,  David,  this  time, 
did  not  go  to  the  hill,  but  abode  in  the  wilderness,  keeping 
ever  a  vigilant  eye  upon  the  movements  of  his  adversary. 

At  length,  one  night,  accompanied  by  his  nephew,  Abishai, 
David  went  into  the  very  midst  of  Saul's  encampment  while 
he  and  his  troops  were  asleep.  Abishai  counseled  that  Saul 
should  be  slain,  and  offered  to  do  the  treacherous  deed  him- 
self; but  David,  true  to  his  reverence  for  the  Lord's  anoint- 
ed, and  earnest  in  his  desire  not  to  stain  his  hands  with  the 
blood  of  his  father-in-law,  would  not  consent.  He  was  con- 
tent to  leave  the  whole  controversy  between  himself  and 
Saul  to  God,  and  he  would  not  rashly  precipitate  its  settle- 
ment by  any  crime  of  his  own.  "As  the  Lord  liveth/'said 
he,  "  the  Lord  shall  smite  him  ;  or  his  day  shall  come  to  die  ; 
or  he  shall  descend  into  battle,  and  perish.  The  Lord  for- 
bid that  I  should  stretch  forth  mine  hand  against  the  Lord's 
anointed."  So  he  restrained  Abishai ;  and  counseling  him 
to  take  only  the  spear  which  marked  the  pillow  of  the  chief, 
and  the  cruse  of  water  that  was  by  his  side,  they  stole  away 
from  the  camp,  and  returned  to  their  own  stronghold.  In 
the  morning,  David  climbed  to  the  ledge  of  the  cliff  which 
overhung  the  cave  in  which  his  men  were  concealed,  and 
overlooked  the  valley  in  which  Saul  was  encamped,  and 
shouting  to  Abner,  the  captain  of  the  king's  hoot,  he  banter- 


CAVE  SONGS.  141 

ed  him  on  the  careful  watch  which  he  had  kept  over  his 
master,  showing  at  the  same  time  the  spear  and  the  pitcher, 
as  proof  that  he  had  himself  been  at  the  very  side  of  Saul. 
When  the  king  heard  his  voice  he  was  moved  as  deeply  as 
he  had  been  at  En-gedi,  and  said,  "  I  have  sinned  :  return,  my 
son  David  ;  for  I  will  no  more  do  thee  harm,  because  my  soul 
was  precious  in  thine  eyes  this  day :  behold,  I  have  played 
the  fool,  and  have  erred  exceedingly." . 

David's  response  was  a  renewal  of  his  appeal  to  God  ; 
and  Saul  parts  from  him  with  a  benediction  :  "  Blessed  be 
thou,  my  son  David :  thou  shalt  both  do  great  things,  and 
also  shalt  still  prevail."  Truly,  "  When  a  man's  way  please 
the  Lord,  he  maketh  even  his  enemies  to  be  at  peace  with 
him."  We  hear  a  great  deal  of  David's  malignity  and  re- 
vengeful spirit,  and  I  can  not,  in  the  light  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, defend  all  that  he  did  or  said ;  yet  we  must  not  fail  to 
note  how  here  he  acted  from  the  noblest  magnanimity,  and 
how,  long  before  the  words  of  Paul  were  written,  he  verified 
the  truth  which  they  express  :  "  Dearly  beloved,  avenge  not 
yourselves,  but  rather  give  place  unto  wrath :  for  it  is  writ- 
ten, Vengeance  is  mine  ;  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord.  There- 
fore, if  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him  ;  if  he  thirst,  give  him 
drink  :  for  in  so  doing  thou  shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  on 
his  head.  Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with 
good."  So  far  as  we  know,  this  was  the  last  meeting  be- 
tween Saul  and  David ;  and  it  is  pleasing  to  think  that  after 
all  that  had  occurred,  Saul's  latest  utterance  to  him  was  one 
of  benediction  ;  at  once  a  vindication  of  David's  conduct  in 
the  past,  and  a  forecast  of  his  glory  in  the  future.  Verily, 
the  Psalmist  was  speaking  from  his  own  experience  when  he 
said,  "  Commit  thy  way  -unto  the  Lord  ;  trust  also  in  him ; 
and  he  shall  bring  it  to  pass.  And  he  shall  bring  forth  thy 
righteousness  as  the  light,  and  thy  judgment  as  the  noon- 
day." But  before  we  pass  away  from  Saul's  persecution  of 


142  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

David,  an  interesting  inquiry  presents  itself,  which  may  be 
answered  by  the  help  of  one  of  the  Psalms.  How  came  it, 
one  is  tempted  to  ask,  that  Saul  was  thus  at  one  time  so 
friendly  to  David,  and  at  another  filled  with  such  bitter  en- 
mity against  him  ?  Much  of  this  was  owing,  doubtless,  to 
the  impulsive,  wayward,  and  capricious  disposition  which,  as 
we  have  seen,  grew  upon  him  after  his  rejection  by  Samuel. 

But  this  will  not  explain  it  all.  An  impulse  will  go  on  in 
a  man  until  it  exhausts  itself;  but  it  will  then  leave  him,  at 
least,  indifferent,  and  something  else  will  be  required  to  ac- 
count for  the  rapid  reversal  of  his  feelings,  when  we  see  him 
change  in  a  short  time  from  grateful  appreciation  to  fierce 
antagonism.  Where,  then,  shall  we  find  that  something  in 
the  case  of  Saul  ?  The  answer  seems  to  me  to  be  furnished 
by  the  inscription  to  the  yth  Psalm,  which,  from  its  similarity 
to  David's  utterances  to  Saul  on  the  occasions  which  have 
been  to-night  before  us,  has  been  by  most  expositors  con- 
nected with  these  events.  It  is  entitled  "  Shiggaion  of  Da- 
vid, which  he  sang  unto  the  Lord,  concerning  the  words  of 
Cush  the  Benjamite."  That  is  "  a  dithyrambic  ode  of  David 
concerning  the  words  of  Cush."  Now  if  we  adopt  the  con- 
jecture that  Cush  was  one  of  Saul's  confidential  adherents, 
and  that  he  had  set  himself  deliberately  and  malignantly  to 
poison  his  master's  mind  in  reference  to  David,  by  inventing 
all  manner  of  false  assertions,  and  indulging  in  every  variety 
of  significant  innuendoes  concerning  him,  we  have  an  expla- 
nation at  once,  of  many  statements  in  the  narrative,  of  the 
vacillations  in  the  disposition  of  Saul,  and  of  the  character  of 
the  Psalm  to  which  the  title  belongs.  Thus,  at  En-gedi,  David 
said  to  Saul,  in  apparent  allusion  to  some  private  slanderers, 
"  Wherefore  hearest  thou  men's  words,  saying,  Behold,  David 
seeketh  thy  hurt?"*  And  again,  at  Hachilah,  he  exclaims, 

*  I  Sam.  xxiv.,  9. 


CAVE  SONGS.  143 

"  If  the  Lord  have  stirred  thee  up  against  me,  let  him  accept 
an  offering :  but  if  they  be  the  children  of  men,  cursed  be  they 
before  the  Lord ;  for  they  have  driven  me  out  this  day  from 
abiding  in  the  inheritance  of  the  Lord,  saying,  Go,  serve  oth- 
er gods."*  So  also  in  one  of  the  two  Psalms  which  I  have 
already  brought  before  you  as  undeniably  belonging  to  this 
chapter  of  his  history,  the  poet,  in  describing  his  persecutors, 
says,  "  I  lie  even  among  them  that  are  set  on  fire,  even  the 
sons  of  men,  whose  teeth  are  spears  and  arrows,  and  their 
tongue  a  sharp  sword. "f  All  this  points  to  the  fact  that 
there  was  at  the  court  of  Saul  some  one  whose  constant  de- 
sign it  was  to  paint  David  in  the  blackest  colors,  and  who 
for  this  end  did  not  hesitate  to  invent  the  falsest  calumnies 
against  him.  When  the  king  was  alone,  away  from  the  in- 
fluence of  this  black-hearted  sycophant,  David's  noble  and 
frank  ingenuousness  produced  its  appropriate  impression  on 
his  heart ;  but  when  David  disappeared,  and  this  Cush  re- 
sumed his  insinuating  supremacy,  then  Saul's  heart  was  again 
estranged,  and  he  vowed  vengeance  on  the  son  of  Jesse.  Of 
course,  if  Saul  had  not  been  weak,  this  effect  would  not  have 
been  produced  upon  him  ;  but,  in  the  circumstances,  we  can 
see  how  the  larger  measure  of  the  guilt  belonged  to  Cush, 
and  can  understand  why,  while  David  spared  the  king,  his 
heart  was  full  of  abhorrence  of  the  part  which  was  played  by 
the  false-hearted  Benjamite.  Now,  with  these  considerations 
in  our  minds,  let  us  read  the  Psalm  itself.  "  O  Lord  my 
God,  in  thee  do  I  put  my  trust :  save  me  from  all  them  that 
persecute  me,  and  deliver  me  :  lest  he  tear  my  soul  like  a 
lion,  rending  it  in  pieces,  while  there  is  none  to  deliver.  O 
Lord  my  God,  if  I  have  done  this ;  if  there  be  iniquity  in  my 
hands ;  if  I  have  rewarded  evil  unto  him  that  was  at  peace 
with  me  (yea,  I  have  delivered  him  that  without  cause  is 

*  I  Sam.  xxvi.,  19.  t  Psa.  Ivii.,  4. 


144  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

mine  enemy) — [a  parenthetic  allusion  to  his  allowing  Saul 
to  escape,  even  though  he  had  him  in  his  power] ;  let  the 
enemy  persecute  my  soul,  and  take  it ;  yea,  let  him  tread 
down  my  life  upon  the  earth,  and  lay  mine  honor  in  the  dust. 
Arise,  O  Lord,  in  thine  anger,  lift  up  thyself  because  of 
the  rage  of  mine  enemies:  and  awake  for  me  to  the  judg- 
ment that  thou  hast  commanded.  So  shall  the  congregation 
of  the  people  compass  thee  about :  for  their  sakes,  therefore, 
return  thou  on  high.  The  Lord  shall  judge  the  people: 
judge  me,  O  Lord,  according  to  my  righteousness,  and  accord- 
ing to  mine  integrity  that  is  in  me.  Oh  let  the  wickedness 
of  the  wicked  come  to  an  end  ;  but  establish  the  just :  for  the 
righteous  God  trieth  the  hearts  and  reins.  My  defense  is 
of  God,  which  saveth  the  upright  in  heart.  God  judgeth  the 
righteous,  and  God  is  angry  with  the  wicked  every  day.  If 
he  turn  not,  he  will  whet  his  sword ;  he  hath  bent  his  bow, 
and  made  it  ready.  He  hath  also  prepared  for  him  the  in- 
struments of  death ;  he  ordaineth  his  arrows  against  the 
persecutors.  Behold,  he  travaileth  with  iniquity,  and  hath 
conceived  mischief,  and  brought  forth  falsehood.  He  made 
a  pit,  and  digged  it,  and  is  fallen  into  the  ditch  which  he 
made.  His  mischief  shall  return  upon  his  own  head,  and 
his  violent  dealing  shall  come  down  upon  his  own  pate. 
I  will  praise  the  Lord  according  to  his  righteousness :  and 
will  sing  praise  to  the  name  of  the  Lord  most  high." 

The  similarity  of  many  of  the  expressions  used  in  this  ode 
to  those  employed  by  David  in  his  two  appeals  to  Saul  is 
very  great,  and  fully  warrants  the  belief  that  the  Psalm  was 
composed  at  the  date  of  the  occurrences  which  have  been 
now  before  us.  In  this  .view  it  is  most  interesting,  as  show- 
ing the  habitual  tendency  of  David's  soul  in  trial  to  repair 
to  God.  Andrew  Fuller  has  somewhere  said  that  "  a  man 
has  only  as  much  religion  as  he  can  command  in  the  time 
of  trouble  ;"  and  by  the  bearing  of  David  through  these  ca- 


CAVE  SONGS.  145 

lamities  we  may  see  how  genuine  his  devotion  to  Jehovah 
was. 

Traveling  once  upon  a  railway  car,  I  had  among  my  fel- 
low-passengers a  little  laughing  child,  who  romped  about 
and  was  at  home  with  every  body.  Had  any  one  come  in 
and  looked  at  her  while  she  was  frolicking  thus,  he  would 
not  have  been  able  to  tell  to  whom  she  belonged,  she  seem- 
ed to  be  so  much  the  property  of  every  one ;  but  ere  long 
the  engine  gave  a  loud,  long  shriek,  as  we  went  rattling  into 
a  dark  tunnel,  and  in  a  moment  the  child  flew,  like  a  bird, 
to  nestle  herself  in  a  lady's  lap.  I  knew  then  who  was  her 
mother  !  So,  in  the  day  of  prosperity,  the  good  man  may  go 
hither  and  thither,  to  this  side  or  to  that,  and  there  may  not 
be  very  much  about  him  to  tell  whose  he  is ;  but  let  him  be 
sent  through  some  dark,  damp  tunnel  of  severe  affliction,  and 
you  will  see  at  once  to  whom  he  belongs ;  for  then,  David- 
like,  he  commits  his  cause  to  God  and  bides  the  issue. 
The  Spirit  of  God  has  written  the  name  of  Jesus  with  in- 
visible ink  on  the  believer's  heart,  but  the  fire  of  tribulation 
brings  out  the  characters  before  men's  eyes.  Still,  remem- 
ber that  trial  does  not  make  goodness ;  it  only  reveals  it. 
We  must  have  it  before  we  can  manifest  it.  Hence,  if  we 
would  prepare  for  such  an  ordeal  as  that  through  which 
David  passed,  we  must  in  our  daily  lives  cultivate  such  fel- 
lowship with  Jehovah,  as  that  which  the  son  of  Jesse  main- 
tained when  he  was  following  his  father's  sheep. 

But  going  back  over  the  narrative,  let  us,  ere  we  close, 
glean  for  ourselves  a  few  practical  lessons  from  it  for  our 
daily  guidance.  And  here  an  obvious  application  of  the 
principle  on  which  David  acted  when  Saul  was  in  his  power, 
is  that  we  should  never  seek  success  by  unwarrantable  means. 
Though  David  was  promised  the  kingdom,  nay,  just  because 
he  had  faith  in  Him  who  made  the  promise,  he  would  not 
make  the  body  of  Saul  a  step  up  to"  the  throne.  "  He  that 

7 


146  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

believeth  will  not  make  haste."  Contrast  this  conduct  of  his 
with  that  of  Rebekah,  when,  thinking  she  could  manage  mat- 
ters better  than  God,  she  stirred  up  Jacob  to  seek  the  birth- 
right by  deception,  and  you  will  see  precisely  what  I  mean 
when  I  hold  up  the  procedure  of  David  for  approbation  and 
imitation.  Rebekah  thought  she  was  taking  the  shortest  way 
to  get  at  that  which  God  had  promised,  but  in  reality  she  sent 
her  son  a  long  way  round,  entailed  upon  him  much  shame 
and  misery,  and  deprived  herself  of  his  presence  and  fellow- 
ship for  all  her  after-life.  David,  in  the  view  of  his  followers, 
might  have  stepped  to  the  throne  of  Israel  at  once  by  mur- 
dering Saul,  but  he  knew  better  than  take  such  a  course  as 
that.  The  right  way  may  seem  the  longer,  but  it  is  always 
the  safer ;  and  when  you  get  to  your  destination,  you  have 
the  satisfaction  of  an  approving  conscience,  and  a  favoring 
God.  Now  this  is  a  truth  which  young  people,  in  these  days 
particularly,  would  do  well  to  remember.  There  is  no  tem- 
poral object  of  ambition,  indeed,  which  God  has  promised  to 
bestow  on  any  one  now,  as  certainly  as  he  covenanted  to 
give  to  David  the  throne  of  Israel.  Yet  every  youth  has 
some  kingdom  before  him  which  he  desires  to  win ;  and  the 
restless  hurry  of  our  age  is  such  that  he  becomes  infected 
with  the  common  madness,  and  is  in  haste  to  gain  his  end. 
Now,  in  these  circumstances,  there  are  never  wanting  Abishais 
who  will  come  and  show  him  a  short  road  to  the  attainment 
of  his  purpose ;  but  it  will  be  over  the  commission  of  some 
sin  as  real,  though  perhaps  not  quite  so  revolting,  as  would 
have  been  the  murder  of  Saul  by  David  in  the  cave  of  En- 
gedi.  "  See,"  one  says,  "here  is  a  glorious  opportunity  to 
make  your  fortune  in  a  day.  Never  mind,  though  it  does  in- 
volve the  ruin  of  a  rival ;  you  don't  owe  him  any  considera- 
tion. He  would  have  no  regard  for  you,  if  your  circumstances 
were  reversed ;"  and  so  the  temptation  is  to  go  and  do  as  it 
is  suggested.  Or,  again,  you  may  have,  to  use  the  world's 


CAVE  SONGS.  147 

word,  the  chance  to  step  into  a  long-coveted  office  at  once, 
provided  only  you  will  covenant  to  do  some  mean,  ungener- 
ous, or  dishonorable  thing  toward  him  who  at  the  moment 
holds  it.  He  has  no  love  for  you  indeed,  and  would  not 
hesitate  to  crush  you  if  you  were  in  his  power;  but  what  does 
that  matter  ?  If  you  yield  to  such  a  temptation,  you  are  plant- 
ing a  seed  which  in  after-years  will  meet  you  in  the  shape  of 
manifold  retributions,  while  at  the  same  time  you  are  taking 
from  success  that  which  is  ever  its  truest  charm,  namely,  that 
it  has  been  honorably  and  deservedly  won.  My  young  friends, 
will  you  accept  this  advice  for  your  guidance  through  life  ? 
Never  take  a  short  road  to  any  object  when  the  gate  into 
that  road  is  sin.  How  much  purer  would  our  political  and 
our  commercial  life  become,  if  men  would  only  consent  to  act 
upon  that  principle !  Be  not  in  such  hot  haste.  Keep  by 
the  highway  of  the  great  King !  That  will  lead  you  right, 
though  it  may  sometimes  seem  to  lead  you  round.  Beware 
of  turning  to  the  one  hand  or  to  the  other,  to  follow  some  in- 
viting footpath  which  seems  to  shorten  the  distance.  Be  sure 
that  will  land  you  in  some  dismal  swamp,  wherein  you  will 
flounder  and  struggle  for  a  longer  time  than  it  would  have 
taken  to  go  by  the  proper  road,  and,  when  you  get  to  your 
destination,  you  will  be  all  over  mud  !  Let  no  vision  of  im- 
mediate success  beguile  you  to  do  wrong.  Do  as  God  would 
have  you ;  and  leave  it  to  him  to  bring  you  to  the  goal  you 
seek,  in  his  own  time.  Make  haste  slowly,  and  rather  resign 
yourself  to  the  loss  of  your  kingdom,  than  go  to  it  through 
shame  and  sin. 

Again :  if  the  view  which  I  have  given  as  to  the  title  of 
the  yth  Psalm,  and  its  connection  with  the  history  which  we 
have  been  considering,  be  correct,  it  brings  up  before  us  the 
whole  subject  of  slander. 

What  a  meanly  cruel  man  this  Cush  must  have  been ! 
He  did  not  come  face  to  face  with  David,  and  allow  him  the 


148  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

opportunity  either  of  making  an  explanation  or  of  demand- 
ing an  investigation  ;  but,  like  a  cowardly  assassin,  he  stab- 
bed him  from  behind,  and  whispered  his  falsehoods  into 
the  ear  of  Saul,  with  every  added  embellishment  of  external 
mannerism  to  give  them  effect.  Now,  have  we  nothing  like 
this,  even  in  our  own  day  and  in  our  own  circles  ?  Who 
knows  not  among  his  acquaintances  some  scandal -monger 
who  is  forever  whispering  away  some  one's  reputation  with 
a  "  They  say,"  or  "  I'm  sure  L  hope  it  is  not  true ;  but  yet, 
you  know,  the  best  of  men  are  but  men  at  the  best,  and  it 
does  look  very  suspicious,  to  say  the  least  of  it  ?"  Give  me 
rather  a  hundred  open,  honorable  enemies  than  one  such 
serpent- tongued  and  behind -back  antagonist  as  that.  Let 
me  see  my  accusers :  let  me  be  brought  face  to  face  with 
any  open,  above-board  statement,  at  any  righteous  tribunal ; 
but  let  me  not  be  set  to  fight  with  one  who  will  not  come 
forth  from  his  dark  ambush,  unless  it  be  to  aim  another 
blow  when  he  can  do  so  unseen.  It  may  seem  a  small  mat- 
ter to  the  slanderer  himself;  he  may  look  upon  it  even  as 
a  good  joke ;  but  it  is  a  serious  business  with  him  whom 
he  assails,  for  the  lie  will  pass  round  and  round,  gathering 
as  it  goes,  and  may,  perhaps,  entail  upon  its  victim  the  se- 
verest agony. 

"A  whisper  broke  the  air — 
A  soft,  light  tone,  and  low, 
Yet  barb'd  with  shame  and  woe  : 
Now  might  it  perish  only  there, 

Nor  farther  go ! 
Ah  me  !  a  quick  and  eager  ear 

Caught  up  the  little  meaning  sound  ! 
Another  voice  has  breathed  it  clear, 

And  so  it  wandered  round 
From  ear  to  lip,  from  lip  to  ear, 
Until  it  reached  a  gentle  heart, 
And  that  it  broke  !" 


CAVE  SONGS.  149 

Think  of  that  when  the  slanderous  story  rises  to  your  lips, 
and  be  silent ! 

But  though,  perhaps,  the  large  part  of  the  blame  belonged 
to  Cush,  we  can  not  hold  Saul  guiltless.  He  ought  to  have 
been  above  receiving  private  accusations  against  any  man, 
most  of  all  against  one  who  had  done  so  much  for  the  de- 
fense of  his  country  as  David  had ;  but,  alas  !  the  wish  was 
father  to  the  scandal  here.  Saul  desired  some  ground  on 
which  he  might  rid  himself  of  David,  and  so  he  was  ready 
to  believe  any  evil  that  might  be  laid  to  his  charge.  If  the 
king  had  not  been  willing  to  hear,  Cush  would  have  had  no 
opportunity  to  speak.  In  all  slander,  therefore,  the  hearer 
is  as  bad  as  the  speaker ;  and  if  we  were  only  to  act  as  we 
ought  to  do  when  a  tale-bearer  begins  to  speak,  we  should 
instantly  take  measures  either  to  silence  him  or  to  leave  his 
presence.  It  is  a  poor  compliment  one  pays  to  us  when  he 
begins  to  retail  scandal  in  our  ear,  because  it  proves  that  he 
believes  us  to  be  capable  of  enjoying  it ;  and  certainly  no 
enjoyment  could  be  more  diabolical.  Hence,  if  we  were  to 
feel  rightly  in  this  regard,  we  would  view  it  as  the  greatest 
insult  that  could  be  offered  to  us,  when  one  comes  to  us  with 
a  whispered  history  that  is  intended  to  destroy  our  confi- 
dence in  the  absent.  "Where  no  wood  is,  there  the  fire  go- 
eth  out ;"  so,  where  there  is  no  listener,  the  scandal-monger's 
"occupation's  gone."  But  ere  I  quit  this  subject,  let  me  di- 
rect a  moment's  attention  to  the  bearing  of  David  under  this 
affliction.  He  embraces  the  first  opportunity  of  confronting 
it,  and  then  he  makes  his  appeal  to  God,  and  waits  his  vindi- 
cation at  the  hands  of  Providence  ;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
he  gives  expression  to  the  conviction  that,  sooner  or  later, 
the  false  accuser  would  be  visited  for  his  iniquity,  and  fall 
into  the  pit  which  he  had  digged  for  another.  As,  in  a  later 
history,  when  Paul  was  about  to  be  made  a  victim  by  an  un- 
principled governor,  who  sought  only  to  make  the  most  of 


150  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

his  position  for  his  own  aggrandizement,  he  appealed  unto 
Caesar,  thereby  removing  himself  to  a  higher  tribunal  in  an- 
other land,  so  here,  amidst  the  accusations  that  were  heaped 
upon  him  by  Cush,  David  appealed  to  heaven,  saying,  vir- 
tually, "  There  is  one  that  judgeth  me,  even  God."  Thus  let 
it  be  with  us  in  times  when  we  are  assailed  by  slander.  We 
may  not  expect  to  get  through  the  world  without  some  of 
it.  Better  men  than  any  of  us  have  had  much  of  it  to  bear ; 
and  the  better  a  man  is,  the  greater  is  the  danger  of  such  as- 
saults ;  for  it  is  only  the  finest  fruit  that  the  birds  will  peck 
at,  or  the  wasps  destroy !  Let  us  prepare  for  it,  therefore  ; 
and  when  we  are  called  to  bear  it,  let  us  take  it  as  David 
took  it ;  nay,  higher  still,  let  us  take  it  as  it  was  taken  by 
David's  Lord,  "  who,  when  he  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again  ; 
when  he  suffered, he  threatened  not;  but  committed  himself 
to  him  that  judgeth  righteously." 

I  add  only  one  other  thought :  Observe,  from  the  case  of 
Saul,  that  true  repentance  is  a  deeper  thing  than  feeling,  and 
is  distinguished  by  permanence  as  well  as  sincerity.  Saul 
says,  "I  have  sinned  ;"  but  we  must  not  imagine,  because  he 
uses  these  words,  that  he  has  truly  repented  of  his  transgres- 
sions. Indeed,  if  you  are  familiar  with  the  Word  of  God, 
you  will  at  once  recall  a  number  of  instances  recorded  in  it, 
in  which  this  very  expression  was  employed,  but  with  a  dif- 
ferent result  in  almost  every  case.  Thus  we  hear  Pharaoh 
saying,  when  the  plague  of  hail  had  desolated  Egypt,  "  I  have 
sinned ;"  but  the  end  with  him  was  the  hardening  of  his 
heart,  and  his  utter  destruction.  When  the  lot  discovered 
Achan,  and  brought  out  to  light  the  wedge  of  gold  and  the 
Babylonish  garment  which  he  had  hidden  in  his  tent,  he  too 
said,  "  I  have  sinned  ;"  but  there  was  nothing  in  his  heart  of 
that  spontaneousness  which  is  the  essence  of  all  true  confes- 
sion. When  Judas  came  with  the  pieces  of  silver,  and  cast 
them  at  the  feet  of  the  Pharisees,  he  too  said,  "  I  have  sin- 


CAVE  SONGS.  151 

ned ;"  and  very  deep  and  bitter  was  his  consciousness  of 
guilt ;  but  his  feeling  was  remorse,  and  not  repentance,  and 
so  he  rushed  recklessly  from  the  world,  vainly  seeking  a  place 
where  he  might  hide  from  God.  When,  after  his  great  sin, 
David  was  brought  to  himself  by  the  expostulation  of  Na- 
than, he  fell  on  his  knees,  and  sobbed  out  the  5ist  Psalm, 
part  of  which  is  as  follows  :  "  Against  thee,  thee  only,  have 
I  sinned,  and  done  this  evil  in  thy  sight ;"  and  in  that  jewel 
of  the  parables,  the  story  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  we  hear  the 
starving  youth,  as  he  lies  in  his  swineherd's  den,  soliloquiz- 
ing thus  :  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father,  and  will  say 
unto  him,  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  hqaven,  and  before 
thee,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son."  Now, 
the  mere  repetition  of  these  six  different  ways  in  which  the 
words  "  I  have  sinned  "  have  been  employed,  will  help  us  to 
distinguish  between  genuine  and  spurious  repentance.  They 
differ  in  the  root  out  of  which  they  spring.  The  spurious 
springs  from  fear,  or  from  a  desire  to  escape  punishment ; 
the  genuine  springs  from  the  contemplation  of  God — and 
now  of  God  more  especially  as  he  has  revealed  himself  to  us 
in  the  person  and  work  of  Jesus  Christ.  Which,  my  hearer, 
is  yours?  Have  you  ever  yet  said,  "  I  have  sinned  ?"  and  if 
you  have  said  it,  why  have  you  done  so  ?  True  repentance 
is  simultaneous  with  the  reception  of  Christ,  and  is  not  to  be 
regarded  as  a  preparation  for  coming  to  him.  The  question 
has  often  been  asked,  indeed,  whether  faith  or  repentance 
comes  first,  but  in  reality  they  may  almost  be  regarded  as 
two  ways  of  describing  the  same  thing.  A  man  truly  be- 
lieves only  when  he  repents ;  he  really  repents  only  when 
he  believes.  Faith  is  the  hold  which  repentance  has  of 
Christ ;  repentance  is  the  view  which  faith  has  of  sin  :  Faith 
is  the  soul's  turning  to  Christ.  But  it  can  not  turn  to  Christ 
without  at  the  same  time  also  turning  from  sin,  and  that  is 
repentance.  Faith  is  the  looking  eye  resting  upon  Jesus ; 


152  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Repentance  is  the  tear  that  gathers  and  glistens  in  that  eye, 
as  it  sees  the  soul's  own  sins  in  the  burden  which  the  Re- 
deemer bore.  Let  us  learn  to  say, "  I  have  sinned  "  thus  at 
the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  no  doubt  about  the  genuineness  of 
our  penitence  need  ever  trouble  us. 


IX. 

N  A  B  A  L  . 
i  SAMUEL  xxv. 

IN  the  interval  between  the  two  meetings  of  David  with 
Saul,  which  we  considered  in  our  last  discourse,  the  Land 
of  Israel  sustained  a  sore  bereavement  in  the  death  of  the 
venerable  Samuel. 

Brought  up  at  the  feet  of  Eli  in  the  Tabernacle  at  Shiloh, 
and  called  while  yet  a  boy  to  the  prophetical  office,  Samuel 
had  lived  almost  continuously  in  the  service  of  the  nation, 
and  had  gathered  to  himself  the  affection  and  the  confidence 
of  the  whole  community.  Seeking  not  his  own  glory,  but 
devotedly  attached  to  the  people,  and  eagerly  solicitous  for 
the  honor  of  Jehovah,  he  had  been  both  a  civil  benefactor 
and  a  religious  reformer.  He  rectified  the  abuses  which 
had  sprung  up  under  the  wicked  sanction  of  the  sons  of  Eli, 
and  set  himself  to  the  administration  of  even-handed  justice 
among  the  tribes.  He  established  the  practice  of  holding 
circuit  courts,  which  has  been  so  largely  followed  in  modern 
times ;  and  by  the  decisions  which  he  gave,  he  redeemed 
the  seat  of  judgment  from  the  contempt  into  which  it  had 
fallen. 

He  reorganized  the  Tabernacle  services,  and  by  the  in- 
fluence at  once  of  his  teachings  and  his  life,  he  lifted  the 
priestly  office  from  the  depth  of  infamy  to  which  Hophni 
and  Phineas  had  sunk  it,  so  that  it  was  no  longer  true  that 
the  most  corrupt  and  degraded  looked  to  it  as  the  last  ref- 
uge of  their  destitution,  saying,  "  Put  us  into  the  priest's  of- 
fice, that  we  may  eat  a  piece  of  bread."  He  established  the 

7* 


154  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

schools  of  the  prophets,  at  which  young  men  were  educated 
for  the  higher  service  of  the  nation ;  and  by  his  attention  to 
the  art  of  music,  he  prepared  the  way  for  those  admirable 
arrangements  for  "  the  service  of  song  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord,"  which,  at  a  later  day,  made  the  name  of  David  illus- 
trious. But  perhaps  the  greatest  benefit  which  he  conferred 
on  his  fellow-countrymen  was  in  the  influence  which  he  ex- 
erted over  them  by  his  godly  example.  He  lived  the  truth 
which  he  taught,  and  drew  to  him  increasingly,  as  the  years 
revolved,  the  affection  of  the  people.  Yea,  though  in  the 
pride  of  their  heart  they  had  desired  a  king  to  rule  over 
them,  he  had  never  lost  their  confidence,  but  was  among 
them  to  the  last  an  uncrowned  king,  to  whom,  in  all  seasons 
of  perplexity,  they  instinctively  turned  for  counsel  and  as- 
sistance. In  his  later  days,  indeed,  he  had  retired,  in  a  great 
measure,  into  private  life,  and  more  especially  after  the  form- 
al rejection  of  Saul  and  the  anointing  of  David,  he  had  sel- 
dom appeared  in  public.  Still,  his  very  presence  among 
them  was  a  consolation  and  a  defense,  and,  in  the  unsettled 
state  of  national  affairs,  the  pious  members  of  the  communi- 
ty would  feel  new  confidence  when  they  thought  of  him. 

But  the  time  had  come  when  he  must  die.  Humanly 
speaking,  he  could  ill  be  spared  from  a  land  which  was 
blighted  by  the  sway  of  a  self-willed  and  unscrupulous  mon- 
arch, and  torn  by  the  distraction  of  civil  strife  ;  but  the  dis- 
cord of  earth  would  make  the  peace  of  heaven  only  the  more 
welcome  to  him,  while  it  intensified  the  grief  of  all  good  men 
at  his  loss.  To  his  own  children,  who  walked  not  in  his 
way,  his  death  would  be,  perhaps,  the  breaking  of  the  last  re- 
straint that  held  them  from  running  headlong  into  uttermost 
iniquity ;  to  the  young  men  of  the  school  of  the  prophets, 
it  would  be  the  taking  from  them  of  their  best  and  wisest 
earthly  friend  ;  and  they  would  each  cry  out,  like  Elisha  af- 
ter the  ascending  Elijah,  "  My  father  !  my  father  !  the  chari- 


NABAL.  155 

ots  of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof."  To  Saul  it  might 
be  a  relief,  as  ridding  him  of  one  who,  alone  of  all  his  sub- 
jects, feared  not  to  tell  him  wholesome  truth ;  but  to  David 
it  would  be  a  sore  distress,  making  him  feel  as  if  the  one 
earthly  link  that  bound  him  to  his  future  kingdom  had  some- 
how snapped  asunder.  He  would  recall  the  clay  when  the 
prophet  came  to  Bethlehem  to  anoint  him,  and  go  back  in 
thought  to  the  happy  hours  which  he  had  spent  with  him 
at  Ramah ;  and  as  he  looked  around  him  at  the  state  of  the 
land,  and  before  him  at  the  difficulties  which  were  barring 
his  way  to  his  predestined  throne,  we  may  well  conceive  him 
sitting  down  and  singing,  out  of  the  depths,  the  Psalm  be- 
ginning, "  Help,  Lord  •  for  the  godly  man  ceaseth ;  for  the 
faithful  fail  from  among  the  children  of  men."*  Most  ap- 
propriate, therefore,  was  it  that  all  Israel  should  gather  to 
the  good  man's  burial ;  and  among  the  crowd  of  mourners 
that  stood  around  the  tomb  at  Ramah,  we  may  be  sure  that 
there  was  not  one  more  deeply  moved  than  David. 

But  his  grief  for  the  loss  of  Samuel,  great  as  it  was,  could 
not  be  allowed  to  interfere  with  the  taking  of  those  precau- 
tions which  were  needed  to  insure  his  own  safety.  Accord- 
ingly, that  he  might  keep  out  of  the  way  of  Saul,  he  led  his 
men  to  the  wilderness  of  Paran.  This  name  was  given  to 
the  entire  tract  of  country  south  of  Judah,  extending  from 
the  Dead  Sea  to  the  peninsula  of  Sinai  and  the  desert  of 
Egypt ;  so  that  in  its  largest  sense  it  included  the  deserts  of 
Kadesh  and  Sin.  Nearly  all  the  wanderings  of  the  children 
of  Israel  were  in  the  great  and  terrible  wilderness  of  Paran. 
But  in  the  present  narrative  it  seems  to  be  restricted  to  the 
most  northerly  portion  of  this  desert,  lying  to  the  west  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  Dead  Sea,  where  the  waste  changes  gradu- 
ally into  an  uninhabited  pasture-land,  in  which,  at  least  in 

*  Psalm  xii. 


156  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

spring  and  autumn,  many  herds  might  feed.  In  this  neigh- 
borhood was  the  town  of  Maon,  which  was  eight  miles  south- 
by-  east  of  Hebron ;  and  about  one  mile  to  the  north  of 
Maon  was  the  village  of  Carmel,  to  be  carefully  distinguish- 
ed from  the  promontory  and  mountain  of  that  name  on  the 
shore  of  the  Mediterranean. 

In  the  former  of  these  towns,  but  with  possessions  which 
connected  him  also  with  the  latter,  there  dwelt  a  wealthy 
man,  named,  or,  perhaps  rather  nicknamed,  Nabal,  or  the 
fool,  who  was  distinguished  by  his  niggardly  disposition,  self- 
ish character,  and  sottish  habits.  He  might  almost  have 
sat  for  the  portrait  which  our  Lord  has  drawn  in  the  parable 
of  "  the  rich  fool,"  only  in  his  case  the  degrading  vice  of  in- 
temperance was  added  to  the  grasping  passion  of  avarice. 
He  was  a  descendant  of  the  noble  Caleb,  but  he  had  none 
of  Caleb's  nature  in  him.  He  lived  only  to  increase  his 
goods  and  to  pamper  his  appetite.  Proud  of  his  "  three 
thousand  sheep  "  and  his  "  one  thousand  goats,"  he  fancied 
that  they  gave  him  a  right  to  snub  and  despise  those  who 
were  less  fortunate  in  the  world.  His  wealth  had  not  en- 
dowed him  with  common  sense  ;  but,  like  many  in  our  own 
day,  he  imagined  that,  because  he  was  in  affluent  circum- 
stances, he  might  with  impunity  indulge  in  rude,  ill-manner- 
ed sneers  at  all  who  were  around  him.  "  What  did  he  care 
for  the  courtesies  or  the  kindnesses  of  life?  Was  not  he 
the  great  man  of  the  place?  Could  not  he  do  just  as  he 
pleased?  And  as  for  what  other  people  thought  of  him, 
what  did  that  matter  to  him  ?  Was  not  he  independent  of 
them  all  ?"  Thus,  from  the  murmurs  of  those  around  him, 
he  took  refuge  in  the  self-complacent  soliloquy :  "  Soul,  thou 
hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years  ;  eat,  drink,  and  be 
merry."  The  race  was  not  extinct  in  our  Saviour's  day.  It 
is  not  extinct  in  our  own.  Let  no  one  suppose,  therefore, 
that  when  we  come  upon  this  Nabal,  we  are  like  the  geolo- 


NABAL.  157 

gist  when  in  the  crust  of  the  earth  he  lights  upon  some  huge 
old  megalosaurus,  and  that  we  have  here  the  petrified  fossil 
of  a  kind  of  animal  which  was  common  in  the  oolite  period, 
but  has  now  entirely  disappeared.  Not  at  all !  You  very 
likely  met  him  yesterday.  You  may  meet  him,  perhaps,  to- 
morrow. The  man  with  heavy  purse  and  light  head,  with 
full  pockets  and  empty  cranium,  is  everywhere  a  Nabal ; 
and  if,  haply,  he  combines  with  these  the  gluttony  of  the 
gourmand  or  the  thirst  of  the  drunkard,  he  will  only  make 
the  identity  more  complete. 

This  purse-proud  boor,  had  contrived  (and  here,  again,  the 
resemblance  to  the  modern  specimen  of  the  same  species 
often  holds  good)  to  marry  a  woman  "  of  good  understand- 
ing, and  of  a  beautiful  countenance."  I  know  not  how  it 
was  brought  about.  We  will  be  charitable,  however,  and 
hope  that  it  was,  like  other  Eastern  marriages,  a  matter  of 
parental  arrangement,  and  that  her  lofty  appreciation  of  his 
wealth  had  nothing  at  all  to  do  with  it.  If  this  were  so,  then 
she  at  least  was  not  so  mercenary  as  some  in  our  enlightened 
age,  who  if  they  can  only  marry  a  carriage  and  pair,  do  not 
seem  to  care  whether  or  not  they  have  a  husband  of  mental 
ability  and  moral  worth  fit  to  be  the  companion  of  their  dai- 
ly lives. 

At  the  time  of  David's  sojourn  in  this  district,  Nabal  held 
his  annual  sheep-shearing.  This  was  equivalent  to  the  har- 
vest of  the  flock-masters,  and  was  commonly  finished  with  a 
joyous  feast  which  corresponded  to  the  harvest-home.  Gen- 
erally, therefore,  it  was  a  season  of  liberality  and  good-will. 
It  was  the  yearly  stock-taking  time,  and  if  things  had  turn- 
ed out  well,  if  the  flocks  had  increased  in  number,  and  the 
fleeces  were  up  to  the  average  standard  of  weight  and  value, 
the  heart  of  their  owner  was  opened,  and  he  was  commonly 
disposed  to  show  more  than  usual  kindness  to  all  who  were 
in  need.  In  the  present  instance,  David  knew  that  Nabal 


158  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

had  peculiar  reasons  for  being  satisfied  with  the  returns  from 
his  shepherds,  for  during  the  sojourn  of  his  troop  in  the  lo- 
cality, he  had  constituted  himself  the  guardian  of  Nabal's 
property,  and,  on  the  testimony  of  the  shepherds,  had  not 
only  not  injured  them  himself,  but  had  been  a  wall  around 
them  by  night  and  day,  so  that  neither  were  they  injured  by 
any  one,  nor  had  they  missed  any  thing  all  the  time  that 
they  had  been  beside  them. 

Conscious,  therefore,  of  the  services  which  he  and  his  fol- 
lowers had  rendered  this  sheep- farmer,  and  expecting  that  in 
the  day  of  his  gladness  his  heart  would  be  opened  to  give  a 
substantial  reward  to  his  benefactors,  David  sent  ten  of  his 
young  men  to  him  with  a  kindly  greeting,  and  a  polite  request 
that  he  would  give  them  some  supplies.  To  their  surprise, 
however,  they  were  met  not  only  with  a  gruff  refusal,  but  with 
insulting  sneers,  which  cast  the  blackest  aspersions  on  the  char- 
acter of  their  leader.  "  Who  is  David  ?"  quoth  Nabal,  "  and 
who  is  the  son  of  Jesse  ?  there  be  many  servants  nowadays 
that  break  away  every  man  from  his  master.  Shall  I  then 
take  my  bread,  and  my  water,  and  my  flesh  that  I  have  killed 
for  my  shearers,  and  give  it  unto  men,  whom  I  know  not 
whence  they  be  ?" 

Stung  to  the  quick  by  these  aggravating  words,  the  young 
men  went  to  David,  and  told  him  how  they  had  been  re- 
pulsed. Very  likely  their  story  lost  nothing  in  the  telling. 
Most  probably,  indeed,  they  would  infuse  something  of  their 
own  wounded  pride  into  their  account;  but  in  any  case, 
when  David  heard  what  they  said,  he  became  fiercely  indig- 
nant, and  ordering  four  hundred  of  his  men  to  arm  them- 
selves and  follow  him,  he  went  forth,  vowing  the  deepest  ven- 
geance, and  determined  not  to  leave  a  single  survivor  of  all 
those  who  belonged  to  the  ungrateful  cynic  who  had  so  in- 
sulted him. 

But  this  was  all  wrong  ;  for  though  David  had  a  clear 


NABAL.  .  159 

moral  right  to  be  recompensed  for  the  services  which  he  had 
rendered  to  Nabal,  he  had  no  legal  title  to  the  smallest  por- 
tion of  his  property;  far  less  had  he  any  justification  for  seek- 
ing thus  to  destroy  him  and  his  household.  We  have  not  a 
syllable  to  say  in  Nabal's  vindication ;  'but  neither  can  we 
utter  a  word  in  defense  of  David  for  this  revengeful  purpose. 
This  was  not  like  him  who  so  reined  in  his  spirit  when  Saul 
was  in  his  power.  It  was  altogether  unworthy  of  one  who 
had  received  so  many  signal  tokens  of  kindness  from  the 
Lord.  Who  was  Nabal,  that  for  his  rudeness  he  should  let 
himself  be  so  disturbed?  If  the  man  was  a  fool,  then  as  such 
his  words  were  beneath  contempt,  and  it  would  have  been 
much  more  in  harmony  with  the  high-mindedness  of  the  poet- 
hero  if  he  had  taken  no  notice  of  his  rudeness,  and  allowed 
him  to  rail  on.  Hence  his  purpose  to  destroy  Nabal's  house 
was  as  undignified  as  it  was  iniquitous.  Human  life  is  a 
holy  thing,  and  he  who  takes  it  away  from  pride,  or  passion, 
or  avarice,  or  lust,  commits  a  foul  outrage  on  the  community, 
and  a  grievous  sin  against  the  Lord.  No  matter  what  the 
character  of  his  victim  may  be,  the  man  who  takes  the  life  of 
another  dishonors  God  and  degrades  the  law ;  and  it  bodes 
ill  for  the  commonwealth  when  deeds  like  these  are  allowed 
to  be  done  with  impunity. 

But  by  the  prompt  and  prudent  management  of  Abigail, 
Nabal's  wife,  David  was  saved,  in  this  instance,  from  carry- 
ing out  his  rash  intention.  It  came  about  in  this  fashion : 
One  of  the  shepherds  who  knew  how  much  they  had  all  been 
indebted  to  David  and  his  men,  and  who  feared  the  conse- 
quences of  Nabal's  rudeness,  went  at  once  to  Abigail,  and 
stated  the  case  to  her.  He  did  not  take  it  upon  him  to  ex- 
postulate with  his  master,  "  for  he  knew  that  he  was  such  a 
son  of  Belial  that  a  man  could  not  speak  to  him."  But  he 
had  confidence  in  the  sagacity  of  his  mistress,  and  he  be- 
sought her  to  take  measures  immediately  to  ward  off  the  evil 


160  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

which  would  be  sure  to  come  upon  them  all.  His  appeal 
was  not  made  in  vain,  for  she  made  haste,  and  laded  asses 
with  ample  stores  of  provisions ;  and,  sending  these  on  be- 
fore, she  determined  to  go  herself  and  make  an  ample  expla- 
nation and  apology  to  David. 

She  had  not  come  a  moment  too  soon,  for,  as  she  was  de- 
scending into  a  covert  of  the  hill  on  the  one  side,  David  and 
his  men  were  coming  down  on  the  other,  "  nursing  their 
wrath"  the  while.  As  soon  as  she  saw  them,  she  lighted 
from  her  ass,  and,  falling  at  David's  feet,  in  Oriental  fash- 
ion, she  made  suit  to  him  in  such  a  manner  as  to  show  a  rare 
amount  of  womanly  tact  and  intellectual  ability.  Taking  all 
the  blame  upon  herself,  she  referred  to  her  husband  "  with  that 
union  of  playfulness  and  seriousness  which,  above  all  things, 
turns  away  wrath."*  "As  his  name  is,  so  is  he ;  fool  (Nabal) 
is  his  name,  and  folly  is  with  him."  Then  she  proceeded, 
on  the  supposition  that  her  request  had  been  already  grant- 
ed, to  congratulate  David  that  the  Lord  had  withholden  him 
from  shedding  blood,  and  she  begged  his  acceptance,  for  his 
young  men,  of  the  supplies  which  she  had  brought.  Thereaf- 
ter, rising  from  present  circumstances,  she  went  on  to  refer  to 
the  future  in  such  a  way  as  to  show  that  she  had  implicit  faith 
in  the  prophecies  that  had  gone  before  concerning  David ; 
and  in  a  manner  the  most  delicately  adroit  she  concluded  by 
saying  that,  when  God  had  given  him  the  kingdom,  it  should 
be  no  grief  to  him  that  he  had  shed  blood  causeless,  or  that 
he  had  avenged  himself.  All  this  was  most  pertinently  put ; 
and  when  she  spake  of  God's  "  making  David  a  sure  house ;" 
of  his  soul  as  "  bound  in  the  bundle  of  life  with  the  Lord 
his  God,"  and  of  his  enemies  as  destined  to  be  "  slung  out,  as 
out  of  the  middle  of  a  sling,"  we  do  not  wonder  that  she  gain- 
ed her  object.  She  was  a  woman  ;  and  though  we  give  her 

*  Stanley's  "Jewish  Church,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  79. 


NABAL.  161 

full  credit  for  sincerity  in  all  that  she  said,  we  can  not  but  ad- 
mire the  dexterous  female  generalship  with  which  she  carried 
her  point  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave  David  with  the  impression 
that  he  -was  laid  by  her  under  a  deep  obligation.  Neither 
can  we  overlook  the  fact,  so  creditable  to  her  piety,  that  by 
the  skillful  allusion  which  she  made  to  his  revengeful  pur- 
pose, she  deeply  touched  the  conscience  of  David,  and  turn- 
ed his  gratitude  to  her  into  thanksgiving  to  God.  Only  a 
woman  could  have  managed  such  a  negotiation  as  this  so 
smoothly  and  successfully;  but  only  a  God-fearing  woman 
would  have  managed  it  so  as  to  bring  David  to  a  sense  of  the 
sinfulness  of  the  act  which  he  had  been  about  to  commit. 

Nabal,  however,  was  not  so  much  pleased  with  the  result. 
When  Abigail  went  home,  she  found  him  so  intoxicated  that 
she  said  nothing  on  the  subject  to  him  until  the  morning; 
but  then,  when  he  heard  her  report,  he  was  so  enraged  at  the 
loss  of  his  property,  or  at  the  thought  that  his  wife  had  done 
what  he  had  himself  refused  to  do,  that  he  went  into  a  fit 
of  apoplexy — a  disease  to  which  his  dissipated  habits  and  the 
debauch  of  the  previous  night  had  predisposed  him,  and, 
after  lingering  for  ten  days,  he  died. 

When  David  heard  of  his  fate,  he  was  anew  impelled  to 
express  his  gratitude  to  God  for  having  withheld  him  from 
the  murder  which  it  had  been  in  his  heart  to  commit.  This 
was  well ;  but  we  are  not  sure  that  he  was  equally  to  be  com- 
mended when,  with  the  disposition  to  connect  special  calam- 
ity with  special  sin,  for  which  the  Jews,  as  a  whole,  were  dis- 
tinguished, and  against  which  the  Saviour  has  warned  us  all, 
he  affected  to  see  in  the  manner  of  Nabal's  death  a  right- 
eous retribution  for  his  treatment  of  himself,  and  a  pleading 
of  the  cause  of  his  reproach.  For  that  we  do  not  vindicate 
him,  any  more  than  we  do  for  the  means  which  he  employed 
to  console  Abigail  for  her  husband's  loss,  when  "  he  com- 
muned with  her  to  take  her  to  him  to  wife !"  Already  he 


1 62  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

was  the  husband  of  Michal,  and  though  she  had  been  taken 
from  him  by  her  father  Saul,  and  given  to  another,  that  was 
no  excuse  for  his  marrying  Abigail  now,  especially  as  even 
before  his  encounter  with  Nabal  he  had  taken  Ahin'oam  of 
Jezreel  into  a  similar  relationship.  Probably  he  did  this,  as 
Eastern  chiefs  do  to  this  day,  for  the  purpose  of  adding  to 
his  importance  in  the  estimation  of  the  people ;  but  though 
polygamy  was  rather  regulated  than  forbidden  by  the  law  of 
Moses,  it  is  clearly  contrary  to  the  primal  law  of  nature, 
and  in  David's  case,  as  in  the  cases  of  many  others,  it  was 
followed  by  disastrous  consequences.  We  shall  return  to 
this  subject,  ere  we  conclude  ;  meanwhile  let  us  take  out  of 
the  history  which  we  have  to-night  reviewed,  one  or  two  prac- 
tical thoughts  which  may  be  useful  to  us  in  the  ordering  of 
our  daily  lives. 

Let  us  note,  then,  first,  the  suggestive  contrast  which  is  here 
presented  in  the  deaths  of  Samuel  and  Nabal.  On  the  one 
hand,  we  have  a  good  man,  taken  to  his  reward  after  a  long 
life  spent  in  the  service  of  his  God,  and  a  whole  nation  gath- 
ers to  weep  around  his  tomb.  On  the  other,  we  have  a  sur- 
ly, selfish,  sottish  man  called  to  his  account,  and  no  tear  is 
shed  over  his  grave  ;  but  instead,  a  feeling  of  relief  is  expe- 
rienced by  all  who  were  connected  with  him,  for  they  are  all 
conscious  that  they  will  be  the  happier  for  his  absence.  In 
the  one  case,  the  life  on  earth  was  but  the  prelude  to  a  high- 
er, holier,  and  more  useful  existence  in  the  heavenly  world ; 
in  the  other,  the  earthly  character  was  but  the  germ  out  of 
which  would  spring,  in  the  state  beyond,  a  deeper,  darker, 
and  more  repulsive  wickedness  even  than  that  which  he  had 
manifested  here.  I  do  not  think  that  David  wrote  the  37th 
Psalm  at  this  particular  date,  since,  from  one  expression 
which  it  contains,  he  seems  to  have  penned  that  ode  in  his 
old  age ;  but,  whensoever  it  was  written,  it  is  hard  for  me  to 
believe  that  he  had  not  before  his  mind  at  the  time  the  con- 


NABAL.  163 

trast  between  Nabal  and  Samuel  which  this  history  so  vivid- 
ly presents.  What  could  be  more  appropriate  to  Nabal  than 
these  words :  "  I  have  seen  the  wicked  in  great  power,  and 
spreading  himself  like  a  green  bay  tree.  Yet  he  passed 
away,  and  lo,  he  was  not :  yea,  I  sought  him,  but  he  could 
not  be  found."  And  surely  David  thought  of  Samuel  when 
he  wrote  this  verse  :  "Mark  the  perfect  man, and  behold  the 
upright :  for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace." 

Now,  the  practical  question  for  us  is,  To  which  of  these 
two  classes  do  we  belong  ?  Alas !  there  are  many  in  these 
clays  whose  lives  are  inflicting  a  constant  martyrdom  on  all 
who  have  the  misfortune  to  be  nearly  related  to  them,  and 
whose  deaths,  while  full  of  sadness  to  themselves,  would  yet 
be  a  blessing  and  a  relief  to  their  friends  as  ridding  them  of 
a  constant  and  fearful  misery.  "A  living  cross  is  heavier 
than  a  dead  one ;"  and  there  are  few  who  have  to  carry  a 
weightier  or  sharper  cross  than  the  wives  and  families  of 
these  Nabals,  whose  intemperance  has  brutified  them  into 
harsh,  unfeeling  cruelty.  How  can  you  expect  the  woman 
who  has  been  beaten  and  abused  by  her  drunkard  husband 
to  feel  otherwise  than  relieved,  when  death  dissolves  the 
union  which  had  brought  her  such  abuse ?  "I  thought  you 
would  have  been  glad  when  your  husband  came  home,"  said 
a  little  girl  to  a  wife  whose  husband  had  just  returned  from 
a  twelve  months'  absence  at  sea ;  "  but  instead  of  that,  you 
look  so  sad  and  anxious."  Ah !  she  knew  not  what  a  stab 
her  words  were  giving  to  her  heart,  for  her  husband  had  re- 
turned only  to  fill  her  soul  with  deepest  agony.  Is  there 
one  here  to-night  who  is  conscious  that  he  is  living  such  a 
life  as  must  make  all  around  him  miserable  —  let  him  see 
in  Nabal  how  repulsive  he  looks,  and  let  him  turn  from  his 
evil  ways,  and  seek  to  minister  to  the  happiness  and  holiness 
of  his  home.  Let  him  be  no  more  a  son  of  Belial,  but  indeed 
a  son  of  God,  so  that  when  he  passes  from  the  world  he  may 


164  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

leave  behind  him  those  who  sincerely  mourn  his  loss,  and 
may  himself  enter  into  the  enjoyment  of  heaven's  own  bless- 
edness. 

What  a  blank  is  created  when  the  good  man  dies !  Men 
miss  his  kindly  presence,  his  wise  counsel,  his  loving  words, 
his  liberal  deeds,  his  holy  example,  and  his  earnest  prayers. 
It  is  long  before  they  can  become  accustomed  to  his  ab- 
sence ;  and  when  some  deep  grief  falls  upon  them,  or  some 
great  agony  is  to  be  passed  through  by  them,  they  feel  as  if 
they  wished  him  back  again  to  sustain  them  through  the  or- 
deal. But  all  of  him  does  not  depart.  He  leaves  behind 
him  an  influence,  which,  long  after  he  has  gone,  is  active  and 
operative  for  good. 

"  Do  you  see  that  strip  of  green  yonder  ?"  said  one  to  his 
companion,  as  they  stood  together  on  a  height,  surveying 
the  landscape  ;  "  I  wonder  what  has  caused  it  ?"  "  I  know," 
was  the  answer ;  "  there  was  a  brook  there  once,  and  its  old 
course  is  lined  with  a  richer  verdure  than  the  surrounding 
district."  Just  so,  the  place  where  a  good  man  has  lived 
and  died  is  greener  from  the  influence  he  has  exerted  over 
it ;  and  even  after  his  name  may  have  been  forgotten  by  the 
inhabitants,  they  may  be  found  in  some  way  moulded  by  his 
character.  Let  it  be  our  aim,  brethren,  so  to  walk  with  Jesus 
in  our  daily  conduct,  that  we  may  have  such  a  hallowed  in- 
fluence on  all  with  whom  we  come  into  contact.  Let  us  be 
earnest  in  the  service  of  our  generation  by  the  will  of  God. 
Let  us  rouse  ourselves  to  zealous  activity  for  the  honor  of 
Christ  and  the  benefit  of  our  fellow-men.  "  It  were  infamy 
to  die  and  not  be  missed."  It  were  foul  dishonor  to  be 
buried  in  a  grave  over  which  no  one  cares  to  shed  a  tear. 
But  if  we  would  have  the  death  of  Samuel,  we  must  live  his 
life  ;  and  if  we  would  live  his  life,  we  must  bear  continually 
in  mind  the  words  which  Jehovah  spoke  to  Eli  by  the  man 
of  God  when  Samuel  was  a  child :  "  Them  that  honor  me 


NABAL.  165 

I  will  honor,  and  they  that  despise  me  shall  be  lightly  es- 
teemed." 

Note,  in  the  second  place,  from  this  history,  that  little 
things  are  more  dangerous  to  the  believer's  life  than  great. 
David  could  control  himself  when  in  the  presence  of  Saul, 
and  again  and  again  resisted  the  entreaties  of  his  adherents 
to  put  his  adversary  to  death ;  but  when  this  churlish  and 
altogether  contemptible  Nabal  speaks  a  few  insulting  words, 
he  is  completely  thrown  off  his  guard,  and  gives  way  to  the 
most  unhallowed  ahger  and  blood-thirsty  revenge.  And  it 
is  so  with  the  people  of  God  still.  For  great  things  a  Chris- 
tian braces  himself  up  prayerfully,  and  so  he  meets  them 
calmly  and  patiently ;  but  a  little  thing  frets  him,  and  pro- 
vokes him  to  testiness  and  rage,  because  he  deems  it  too 
trivial  to  go  to  God  with,  and  seeks  to  encounter  it  only  in 
his  own  strength.  How  common  is  this  experience  among 
us  !  The  loss  of  a  large  sum  seriously  affecting  our  comfort 
will  be  borne  with  equanimity,  for  we  are  driven  to  meet  that 
upon  our  knees ;  but  if  one  should  cheat  us  out  of  a  paltry 
amount,  it  will  annoy  us,  and  stir  us  up  to  envy  and  revenge, 
and  we  will  vent  our  spleen  in  all  manner  of  attempts  to 
bear  down  with  the  full  force  of  law  upon  our  adversary. 
The  death  of  a  child  will  fill  us  with  sadness,  but  will  be 
borne  by  us  with  believing  resignation,  because  we  see  God's 
providence  in  that ;  but  the  accidental  upsetting  of  a  tea- 
urn,  or  the  thoughtless  stupidity  of  a  servant,  will  produce  in 
us  an  explosion  of  temper  sufficient  to  shake  the  whole  es- 
tablishment to  its  foundation.  Is  not  this  too  largely  the 
case  with  us  all  ?  and  when  it  is  so,  how  often  are  we  be- 
holden to  the  Abigail  beside  us  for  soothing  us  down  to 
reason  and  propriety  ?  Surely  we  ought  to  be  on  our  guard 
against  such  irritability.  And  that  we  may  be  so  efficiently, 
let  us  see  God's  hand  in  all  things ;  let  us  turn  to  God  in 
every  thing ;  and,  far  from  despising  small  things,  let  us 


166  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

watch  them  the  more  closely  the  smaller  they  are,  since 
their  very  minuteness  makes  them  only  the  more  dangerous. 
Above  all,  let  us  think  how  unlike  this  temper-  is  to  the 
meekness  of  Him  by  whose  name  we  have  called  ourselves ! 
Where  is  the  image  of  Christ  in  such  a  disposition  ?  It  is 
only  on  the  surface  of  the  placid  lake  that  you  can  see,  un- 
broken, the  mirrored  likeness  of  the  sun ;  but  let  it  be  ruf- 
fled by  the  wind,  and  forthwith  the  full  rounded  image  is 
destroyed,  and  nowhere  can  you  catch  a  glimpse  of  it  com- 
plete. Not  otherwise  is  it  here.  The  likeness  of  Christ 
can  be  seen  only  while  the  Christian  preserves  his  equanim- 
ity. In  the  outburst  of  temper,  the  Christ-image  is  defaced, 
and  the  wholesome  influence  of  the  character  is  neutralized. 

Besides,  how  foolish  it  is  to  act  under  the  influence  of  an- 
ger !  What  a  dreadful  sin  David  would  have  committed 
here,  if  he  had  not  been  providentially  restrained  !  It  would 
be  well  for  us,  therefore,  to  resolve  never  to  act  in  any  mat- 
ter while  the  heat  of  temper  is  upon  us.  That  is  a  wise  pre- 
cept which  the  Chinese  have  crystallized  into  a  proverb, 
"  Do  nothing  in  a  passion ;  why  wouldst  thou  put  to  sea  in 
the  violence  of  a  storm  ?"  But  that  is  a  still  wiser  of  Paul, 
"  Be  ye  angry,  and  sin  not :  let  not  the  sun  go  down  upon 
your  wrath." 

Finally,  it  is  impossible  to  read  this  chapter  without  hav- 
ing our  minds  directed  to  the  whole  question  of  marriage. 
In  the  case  of  Nabal  and  Abigail  we  have  an  illustration  of 
the  evils  of  ill-assorted  wedlock ;  while  in  the  after-relation- 
ship which  she  bore  to  David,  taken  in  connection  with  the 
manifold  evils  which  we  shall  see  resulted  from  his  concu- 
binage, we  have  a  forcible  exemplification  of  the  mischiefs 
and  miseries  which  are  always  and  everywhere  the  conse- 
quences of  polygamy.  In  the  Divine  intention  at  the  first, 
the  wife  was  designed  to  be  the  helpmeet  of  the  husband, 
and  this  was  the  law,  "Therefore  shall  a  man  leave  his  fa- 


NABAL.  167 

ther  and  his  mother,  and  shall  cleave  unto  his  wife  :  and  they 
shall  be  one  flesh."  Whenever  and  wherever  this  law  has 
been  violated,  discord  and  disaster,  in  greater  or  less  meas- 
ure, has  been  the  result.  We  need  only  look  to  the  house- 
holds of  Abraham,  Jacob,  Elkanah,  and  David  to  be  con- 
vinced of  this,  for  if,  in  the  cases  of  such  men,  the  evils  of 
which  we  have  a  record  in  this  book  were  the  consequences 
of  polygamy,  where  is  the  man  who  may  hope  to  be  exempt- 
ed from  them,  if  he  persists  in  following  their  example  ? 
It  is  nothing  that  in  the  law  of  Moses  this  sin  was  sought 
to  be  regulated  rather  than  eradicated ;  for,  as  the  Lord  him- 
self has  said,  Moses  suffered  this  "for  the  hardness  of  the 
hearts  "  of  those  over  whom  he  was  set ;  and  his  laws — in 
this  respect,  like  those  of  Solon — were  not  absolutely  the 
best  laws  which  could  have  been  enacted,  but  they  were  the 
best  which  the  Israelites  of  his  day  would  have  accepted. 
Now,  however,  under  the  Gospel,  the  sanctity  and  inviolabili- 
ty of  marriage  have  been  re-enacted,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  has 
given  to  it  a  loftier  holiness  and  a  richer  significance,  by 
using  it  as  a  symbolical  illustration  of  his  own  relation  to 
"  the  Church  which  he  hath  purchased  with  his  own  blood." 
Rightly  viewed,  therefore,  the  marriage  of  a  man  and  wom- 
an is,  next  after  their  union  to  God  himself,  the  most  impor- 
tant connection  which  can  be  formed  on  earth,  and  should 
not  be  entered  into  lightly  and  unadvisedly,  but  soberly,  dis- 
creetly, and  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  Too  often,  however, 
the  whole  subject  is  treated  in  common  conversation  with 
the  most  profane  levity,  and  every  allusion  which  is  made  to 
it  is  met  with  frivolity  as  if  it  were  a  good  joke,  instead  of 
being  well-nigh  the  most  sacred  thing  which  can  engage  the 
attention  of  the  young.  If  it  is  not  regarded -as  an  affair  of 
convenience  or  of  commerce,  it  is  talked  of  frequently  as  a 
matter  of  fashion;  and  the  making  of  a  "good  match,"  by 
which  is  meant  the  securing  of  a  fortune,  or  the  entrance 


1 68  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

upon  a  high  social  position,  is  regarded  as  of  far  more  im- 
portance than  the  selection  of  one  \yho  shall  be  a  suitable 
companion,  or  a  daily  helper  in  the  Christian  life.  Even  as 
I  speak,  I  am  aware  that  many  may  resent  my  words,  as  if 
they  were  going  beyond  the  province  within  which  multi- 
tudes would  restrict  the  proprieties  of  the  pulpit ;  but  hav- 
ing regard  to  the  loose  notions  which  are  coming  in  upon 
us  on  this  subject,  and  knowing  well  how  closely  it  concerns 
the  purity  of  the  Church  and  the  welfare  of  the  nation  that 
the  truth  concerning  it  should  be  preached,  I  dare  not  hold 
my  peace.  The  law  of  the  New  Testament  is  clear,  and  as 
one  has  well  said,  "  the  man  who  wishes  to  belong  to  the 
flock  of  Christ  owns  neither  Moses  nor  yet  the  civil  magis- 
trate for  his  master  in  this  respect."  The  man  and  the  wife 
are  united  until  God  shall  separate  them  by  death.  One 
man  to  one  wife.  How  .important,  therefore,  that  the  choice 
on  either  side  shall  be  wisely  made !  It  is  right  to  look  for 
mutual  adaptation  in  station,  in  temper,  in  education,  and  in 
ability.  These  have  all  their  own  importance,  but  there  are 
two  principles  which  should  never  be  lost  sight  of.  First, 
let  no  one  enter  into  this  relationship  where  there  is  no  true 
love  for  him  or  her  with  whom  it  is  to  be  formed.  That  is 
the  law  of  nature.  Second,  let  no  one  who  is  a  Christian  be 
united  to  another  who  is  not  also  one  with  Christ.  That  is 
the  law  of  grace.  "  Be  ye  not  unequally  yoked  together  with 
unbelievers  :  for  what  fellowship  hath  righteousness  with  un- 
righteousness ?  and  what  communion  hath  light  with  dark- 
ness ?  And  what  concord  hath  Christ  with  Belial  ?  or  what 
part  hath  he  that  believeth  with  an  infidel  ?"  In  a  union  so 
close  and  intimate,  it  can  not  but  be  that  an  assimilating 
process  will  continually  go  on  ;  and  if  either  party  be  godless 
and  given  to  debasing  pursuits,  then  we  may  say  to  the  other, 

"  Thou  shalt  lower  to  his  level  day  by  day, 
What  is  fine  within  thee  growing  coarse  to  sympathize  with  clay." 


NABAL.  169 

And  who  shall  tell  how  many  lives  that  might  otherwise 
have  been  beautiful,  exalted,  and  benign,  have  been  marred, 
and  blurred,  and  mutilated,  and  degraded,  by  an  improper 
marriage !  This  union  may  be  either  the  brightest  blessing 
or  the  darkest  misery  to  those  who  enter  into  it.  What  need, 
then,  of  care  and  prayer  in  the  choice  of  ^a  suitable  compan- 
ion for  one's  earthly  lot !  The  old  Roman  punishment  which 
bound  to  a  living  man  a  festering  and  corrupting  corpse,  and 
compelled  him  to  carry  it  with  him  wherever  he  went,  was 
nothing  to  the  self-inflicted  misery  of  those  who  bind  them- 
selves to  husbands  or  to  wives  who  are,  like  Nabal  here, 
surly,  boorish,  beastly,  and  degraded!  "Ah,  me!"  says  the 
venerable  Tholuck,  "  if  our  youth  would  but  more  deeply 
ponder  what  it  is  to  choose  a  partner,  to  be  of  one  spirit 
and  one  flesh  with  them  for  the  whole  of  their  pilgrimage  on 
earth,  their  choice  would  not  be  made  in  the  false  glare  of 
the  theatre  or  the  ball-room.  Till  death  divide  you,  would 
ring  perpetually  in  their  souls.  In  the  light  of  day  they 
would  choose,  and  by  the  light  of  God's  Word  they  would 
try  their  partner,  seek  the  advice  of  Christian  friends,  and 
not  join  hands  until  they  were  sure  of  the  divine  amen."* 
God  give  you  grace,  my  young  friends,  to  ponder  well  these 
weighty  words ! 

*  "  Hours  of  Christian  Devotion ;  translated  from  the  German  of  A. 
Tholuck,  D.D.,  by  Robert  Menzies,  D.D.,"  p.  471. 

8 


X. 

ZIKLAG,  ENDOR,  AND  GILBOA. 

i  SAMUEL  xxvii.-xxxi. ;  2  SAMUEL  i. 

AFTER  his  interview  with  Saul  at  Hachilah,  David  con- 
tinued for  a  time  his  wandering  life  in  the  wilderness 
of  Judah,  with  his  band  of  followers,  which  had  gradually  in- 
creased to  six  hundred  men.  As  originally  composed,  his 
company  consisted  of  "  those  who  were  in  distress,  and  those 
who  were  in  debt,  and  those  who  were  discontented."  Yet 
even  among  this  motley  troop,  there  were  warriors  of  the 
utmost  bravery,  who  were  destined  afterward  to  be  leaders 
in  his  army.  Such  were  those  three  who,  on  the  memorable 
occasion  alluded  to  in  chapter  xi.  of  i  Chronicles,  verses  15- 
19,  while  the  Philistine  garrison  was  at  Bethlehem,  when  Da- 
vid thirsted  for  a  draught  from  the  well  at  the  gate  of  that 
city,  from  which,  in  his  happy  shepherd  days,  he  had  often 
drank,  dashed  through  the  host  of  the  enemy,  and  drew  wa- 
ter from  the  spring,  and  took  it  and  brought  it  to  their  captain. 
But  he  would  not  drink  of  it,  after  all ;  for,  with  a  spirit  which 
combined  the  purest  piety  and  the  loftiest  chivalry,  he  pour- 
ed it  out  before  the  Lord,  saying,  "  My  God  forbid  it  me, 
that  I  should  do  this  thing :  shall  I  drink  the  blood  of  these 
men,  that  have  put  their  lives  in  jeopardy  ?  for  with  the  jeop- 
ardy of  their  lives  they  brought  it."  We  can  not  wonder 
that  men  loved  such  a  leader,  nor  is  it  strange  that  those 
who  did  this  daring  deed  were  ever  afterward  referred  to  as 
the  three  mightiest  in  his  host. 

While  they  were  in  the  hold,  others  came  to  him  from 
among  the  children  of  Gad  ;  of  whom  eleven  principal  lead- 


ZIKLAG,  ENDOR,  AND  GILBOA.  171 

ers  are  named  as  "  men  of  might,  and  men  of  war  fit  for 
the  battle,  that  could  handle  shield  and  buckler,  whose  faces 
were  like  the  faces  of  lions,  and  were  as  swift  as  the  roes 
upon  the  mountains  ;"  and  of  whom,  "one  of  the  least  was 
over  a  hundred,  and  the  greatest  over  a  thousand."*  This 
does  not  imply  that  they  joined  David,  followed  each  by  a 
troop  varying  in  number  from  a  hundred  to  a  thousand 
men,  but  rather  that,  after  David  had  come  into  his  king- 
dom, he  promoted  them  to  captaincies  in  his  army.  Still, 
that  they  came  in  some  considerable  force  is  indicated  in  the 
statement,  "  They  went  over  Jordan  in  the  first  month,  when 
it  had  overflown  all  his  banks ;  and  they  put  to  flight  all 
them  of  the  valleys,  both  toward  the  east  and  toward  the 
west."f 

About  the  same  time,  also,  and  probably  in  the  very  in- 
terval between  the  episode  with  Saul  at  Hachilah  and  the 
flight  of  David  to  Gath,  there  came  to  his  standard  some  of 
the  children  of  Judah,  and  some  who  were  connected  with 
Saul's  own  tribe  of  Benjamin.  When  David  saw  them,  he 
was  afraid  of  treachery,  and  went  forth  to  meet  them,  saying, 
"  If  ye  be  come  peaceably  unto  me  to  help  me,  mine  heart 
shall  be  knit  unto  you :  but  if  ye  be  come  to  betray  me  to 
mine  enemies,  seeing  there  is  no  wrong  in  mine  hands,  the 
God  of  our  fathers  look  thereon,  and  rebuke  it."  To  this 
their  captain,  Amasai,  made  immediate  response,  "  Thine  are 
we,  David,  and  on  thy  side,  thou  son  of  Jesse  :  peace,  peace 
be  unto  thee,  and  peace  be  to  thine  helpers ;  for  thy  God 
helpeth  thee."  $  And  having  received  this  assurance,  he  re- 
ceived them  gladly,  and  gave  them  posts  of  honor  in  his  lit- 
tle army. 

But  though  thus  encouraged  with  the  accession  of  new  ad- 
herents, David  appears  shortly  after  this  to  have  given  way 

*  i  Chron.  xii.,  8,  14.         t  I  Chron.  xii.,  15.         f  i  Chron.  xii.,  16-18. 


172  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

to  despondency,  and  almost  to  despair,  for  he  said, "  I  shall 
now  perish  one  day  by  the  hand  of  Saul ;  there  is  nothing 
better  for  me  than  that  I  should  speedily  escape  into  the 
land  of  the  Philistines  ;  and  Saul  shall  despair  of  me  to  seek 
me  any  more  in  the  coast  of  Israel,  so  shall  I  escape  out  of 
his  hand."  It  is  difficult  to  account  for  this  transition  in  him 
from  confidence  to  fear.  Something  of  it  might  be  due  to 
those  alternations  of  emotion  which  seem  to  be  incidental  to 
our  human  constitution.  We  have  ebbings  and  flovvings 
within  us  like  those  of  the  tides ;  and  just  as  in  nature  the 
lowest  ebb  is  after  the  highest  spring  tide,  so  you  frequently 
see,  even  in  the  best  of  men,  after  some  lofty  experience  of 
spiritual  elevation  and  noble  self-command,  an  ebbing  down 
to  the  lowest  depth  of  fear  and  flight.  It  was  after  his  hap- 
py sojourn  in  the  school  of  the  prophets  at  Ramah  that  Da- 
vid went,  on  the  former  occasion,  to  the  land  of  the  Philis- 
tines ;  and  now  it  was  after  he  had  risen  above  the  cowardly 
suggestion  of  his  followers  to  murder  Saul  in  cold  blood,  and 
had  indeed  changed  the  curse  of  Saul's  enmity  into  a  bene- 
diction, that  he  sinks  again  into  despair. 

Something  of  this  change,  too,  might  be  owing  to  the  re- 
ports brought  to  him  by  his  recent  recruits  of  the  persistent 
efforts  made  to  poison  the  mind  of  Saul  against  him  by  the 
slanderer  Cush,  to  whom  we  have  already  referred,  But, 
however  it  may  be  accounted  for,  this  despair  of  David's  was 
deeply  dishonoring  to  God,  and  full  of  danger  to  himself.  It 
was  dishonoring  to  God;  for  had  he  not  then,  just  as  really  as 
he  ever  had,  those  promises  which  had  so  steadily  sustained 
him  in  former  emergencies,  and  which  had  been  so  signally 
fulfilled  by  former  deliverances  ?  Had  he  forgotten  the  anoint- 
ing which  he  received  from  the  hands  of  Samuel  ?  Was  his 
victory  over  the  giant  now  entirely  ignored  by  him  ?  Surely 
he  was  the  very  last  man  who  ought  to  have  allowed  himself 
to  despair  of  the  love  and  faithfulness  of  Jehovah !  Yet  here 


ZIKLAG,  ENDOR,  AND  GILBOA.  173 

he  is  in  the  blankest  darkness,  brooding  over  his  difficulties, 
and  seeking  help  from  the  heathen,  as  if  there  were  no  God 
to  call  upon,  no  kingdom  to  win,  no  right  to  be  adhered  to, 
and  no  wrong  to  be  avoided.  Still,  let  us  not  be  too  severe 
on  him,  lest  we  thereby  condemn  ourselves ;  for,  bad  as  de- 
spair was  in  David,  with  all  his  experiences  of  the  goodness 
of  God,  it  is  still  worse  in  us,  who  have  seen  the  marvelous 
manifestations  of  his  mercy  in  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ.  If 
in  our  times  of  despondency  we  can  not  take  hold  of  this 
thought, "  He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  him 
up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  with  him  also  freely  give  us  all 
things  ?"  it  ill  becomes  us  to  indulge  in  wholesale  denun- 
ciation of  David  here.  He  that  is  without  sin  among  us,  in 
this  respect,  let  him  cast  the  first  stone  at  him.  For  my 
part,  I  have  been  myself  so  often  in  the  same  condemnation, 
that  I  am  disposed  to  place  myself  in  the  pillory  by  his  side  ! 

But  this  despair  was  also  dangerous  to  himself;  for,  arising 
as  it  did  from  his  forgetfulness  of  God,  it  kept  him  from  con- 
sulting God  about  his  plans.  On  other  important  occasions, 
especially  since  Abiathar  had  joined  his  band,  he  was  careful 
to  inquire  at  the  mj'stic  Urim  and  Thummim  for  direction. 
But  here  we  have  no  mention  made  of  the  sacred  oracle,  and 
no  record  of  a  single  prayer.  Hence  no  good  could  be  ex- 
pected from  an  enterprise  which  was  thus  inaugurated.  That 
which  is  begun  in  prayerlessness  must  end  in  misery  and  hu- 
miliation. 

Nor  was  this  all.  His  despair,  making  him  reckless, 
blinded  him  to  the  dangers  which  he  would  incur  by  going 
to  the  land  of  the  Philistines.  Had  he  not  been  panic-strick- 
en, he  would  surely  have  remembered  his  former  experiences 
at  the  court  of  Achish,  and  would  have  reasoned  that  if,  when 
he  was  alone,  he  was  in  such  peril,  he  would  be  much  more 
likely  to  be  seriously  endangered  when  he  was'accompanied 
by  six  hundred  men,  with  their  wives  and  children.  But  the 


174  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

truth  was,  there  was  only  one  all-absorbing  feeling  in  his  soul 
at  this  time,  namely,  the  fear  of  Saul,  and  he  took  what  seem- 
ed to  him  the  readiest  way  to  relieve  himself  of  that  danger, 
without  staying  for  a  moment  to  consider  all  that  his  pro- 
cedure might  involve.  "He  that  believeth  shall  not  make 
haste :"  but  fear  is  always  in  a  hurry.  Running  in  wild  panic 
from  a  dog,  one  may  find  himself  in  the  more  serious  danger 
of  being  overturned  and  trampled  upon  by  the  prancing  horse 
as  he  holds  on  his  course  along  the  street.  So  he  who  has 
lost  his  confidence  in  God,  and  is  filled  with  fear  of  some  ca- 
lamity, rushes  blindly  forward  seeking  present  relief,  only  to 
fall  into  a  more  appalling  danger  than  that  from  which  he 
flees.  Thus  it  was  with  David  here.  As  he  had  calculated, 
he  rid  himself  of  Saul,  for  we  read  that  he  sought  no  more 
for  David ;  but  by  the  false  step  of  going  over  to  the  Philis- 
tines he  involved  himself  in  a  long  course  of  cruelty  and  de- 
ceit, out  of  which  he  came  with  a  tarnished  reputation,  and  a 
heart  grown  but  too  familiar  with  the  crooked  policy  of  expe- 
diency and  sin. 

Achish  received  him  kindly ;  but  while  we  give  him  cred- 
it for  his  hospitality,  we  can  not  look  upon  it  as  altogether 
disinterested.  He  knew  that  David  was  at  enmity  with  Saul, 
and  seeing  so  many  men  accompanying  him,  he  calculated 
on  receiving  substantial  assistance  from  him  in  any  military 
service  in  which  he  might  engage.  Hence,  when  David  re- 
quested that  he  might  have  a  place  in  some  town  in  the 
country,  that  he  might  dwell  there,  he  gave  him  Ziklag,  a 
town  which  had  been  allotted  to  the  tribe  of  Judah  in  the 
days  of  Joshua,  and  which  was  probably  at  this  time  unin- 
habited, because  it  had  been  taken  by  the  Philistines,  and  its 
population  dispersed. 

Here  David  and  his  men,  with  their  wives  and  children, 
lived  for  sixteen  months,  and  hither  came  to  him  (as  we 
learn  from  i  Chronicles  xii.,  1-7)  some  of  those  who  were 


ZIKLAG,  ENDOR,  AND  GILBOA.  175 

reputed  as  his  mighty  men,  helpers  in  the  war.  "They  were 
armed  with  bows,  and  could  use  both  the  right  hand  and  the 
left  in  hurling  stones  and  shooting  arrows  out  of  a  bow;" 
and  they  were  "  of  Saul's  brethren  of  Benjamin."  From  Zik- 
lag  as  a  centre,  David  made  incursions  on  the  Geshurites, 
and  the  Gezrites,  and  the  Amalekites,  living  upon  the  spoils 
which  he  took  from  them,  and  putting  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  among  them  to  death,  that  no  one  might  remain  to 
tell  where  he  had  been ;  for  ever  as  he  returned,  he  made 
Achish  believe  that  he  had  been  out  against  those  who  were 
the  enemies  of  the  Philistines,  and  who  were  either  his  own 
countrymen  or  their  friendly  allies.  Hence  Achish  made 
sure  of  him  as  a  reliable  supporter,  and  calculated  that  be- 
cause he  had  made  his  own  people  to  abhor  him,  he  would 
become  valuable  in  his  service.  Now,  there  is  no  possibility 
of  vindicating  David  for  all  this.  We  can  not  even  offer  a 
plausible  excuse  for  him.  It  is  easy  to  say  that,  in  the  cir- 
cumstances in  which  he  was  placed,  some  allowance  must  be 
made  for  him.  But  who  put  him  into  these  circumstances  ? 
He  was  not  in  Ziklag  on  God's  service.  He  had  not  been 
sent  thither  by  any  prophetical  command  from  God.  He 
went  of  his  own  accord,  and  it  will  not  do  to  make  his  cir- 
cumstances when  he  was  there  an  extenuation  of  his  wicked- 
ness. His  going  thither  was  in  itself  a  wrong  thing ;  and 
one  sin  can  never  palliate  another. 

Then  as  to  the  falsehood  of  his  life  during  these  months, 
we  must  unequivocally  and  emphatically  condemn  it.  He 
was  seeking  all  through  his  own  interest,  not  God's  glory. 
Nay,  he  was  even  blind  in  seeking  that,  for  he  might  have 
been  sure  that,  sooner  or  later,  a  day  of  reckoning  would 
come.  Mark  the  prolific  progeny  that  sprang  from  the  one 
parent  sin  of  unbelief  in  this  dark  chapter  of  David's  life. 
Prayerlessness ;  desertion  of  the  sphere  of  duty ;  theft;  mur- 
der; falsehood.  All  these  have  germinated  from  the  one 


1 76  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

innocent-looking  little  seed,  loss  of  confidence  in  God  !  Is 
this  thy  voice,  O  David,  speaking  so  falsely  in  the  ear  of 
Achish  ?  Is  this  the  man  according  to  God's  own  heart  ? 
Alas !  it  is  even  so.  But  he  is  not  acting  now  as  God  ap- 
proves. He  has  forsaken  God,  and  God,  for  the  time  being, 
has  left  him  to  himself,  to  let  him  see  how  far- without  his 
grace  he  would  run  into  iniquity,  and  to  let  us  learn  from  his 
example  what  an  evil  thing  and  a  bitter  it  is  to  forsake  the 
Lord  our  God. 

Very  soon  a  critical  time  came  to  David.  The  Philistines 
were  preparing  for  that  assault  on  Israel  which  culminated 
at  Gilboa,  and  Achish,  to  show  his  confidence  in  David,  in- 
timated that  he  wished  him  to  go  with  him  as  his  aid-de-camp 
to  battle.  Sorely  must  David  have  winced  under  this  com- 
mand ;  but  disguising  his  dismay,  under  an  evasive  answer 
to  this  effect,  "  Thou  shalt  know  what  thy  servant  can  do," 
he  made  ready  his  band,  and  went  to  Aphek,  a  place  near 
the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  where  the  Philistines  were  encamped. 
But  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  would  have  none  of  his 
presence,  and  insisted  that  he  and  his  followers  should  be 
sent  back  to  Ziklag.  Achish  was  greatly  distressed  at  this, 
and  made  an  apology  for  their  rudeness  and  apparent  dis- 
trust, to  David,  who  retraced  his  steps,  secretly  glad,  we  may 
be  sure,  that  he  had  been  so  thoroughly  delivered  from  an 
embarrassing  and  equivocal  position. 

As  he  was  leaving  Aphek,  however,  there  came  to  him,  as 
we  read  again,  in  the  first  book  of  Chronicles  (xii.,  19-22), 
from  the  tribe  of  Manasseh  a  goodly  number  of  adherents,  of 
whom  no  fewer  than  seven  were  afterward  ranked  as  cap- 
tains of  thousands  in  the  army  of  Israel.  And  indeed  it  very 
soon  appeared  that  he  had  need  of  all  the  help  which  he 
could  obtain.  For  when  they  were  nearing  Ziklag,  instead 
of  seeing  a  happy  village,  whose  streets  were  full  of  boys 
and  girls  playing  in  youthful  frolic,  and  whose  homes  were 


ZIKLAG,  ENDOR,  AND  GILBOA.  177 

full  of  glee,  they  beheld  only  a  heap  of  smoking  ruins.  In 
the  absence  of  its  defenders,  the  Amalekites  had  smitten  the 
town  and  set  it  on  fire,  and  though  they  spared  the  lives 
of  the  women  and  children,  they  carried  them  all  away  cap- 
tive, in  the  hope  of  ransom.  Such  was  the  sorrow  among 
David's  company,  when  they  looked  upon  the  desolation 
which  the  Amalekites  had  made,  that  they  lifted  up  their 
voices  and  wept ;  but  by-and-by  their  sadness  gave  place  to 
anger,  as  they  upbraided  their  leader  for  taking  them  to  the 
Philistine  army,  and  leaving  their  home  unprotected.  They 
even  spake  of  stoning  him.  This  greatly  distressed  him  ; 
but  it  brought  him  to  his  knees  and  to  his  faith  again.  As 
sometimes  the  partially  intoxicated  man  will  be  sobered  in 
a  moment  by  the  occurrence  of  some  terrible  calamity,  so 
David,  who  had  been  living  all  these  months  under  the  nar- 
cotic influence  of  sin,  was,  by  the  violence  of  the  Amalekites, 
and  the  threatened  mutiny  of  his  own  men,  roused  to  his  no- 
bler self,  and  "he  encouraged  himself  in  the  Lord  his  God." 
With  returning  faith  came  the  recognition  of  the  necessity 
for  Jehovah's  guidance,  and  he  said  to  Abiathar,  "  Bring  hith- 
er the  ephod."  From  the  answer  which  he  received  he  was 
encouraged  to  set  out  in  pursuit  of  the  spoilers,  with  the  as- 
surance that  he  should  without  fail  recover  all.  Very  sug- 
gestive is  this  contrast.  "  David  said,  I  shall  one  day  perish 
by  the  hand  of  Saul ;  there  is  nothing  better  for  me  than 
that  I  should  speedily  escape  to  the  land  of  the  Philistines." 
"  David  encouraged  himself  in  the  Lord  his  God,  and  said 
unto  Abiathar,  Bring  hither  the  ephod."  On  the  one  hand, 
despair,  leading  to  prayerlessness  and  self-will ;  on  the  other, 
faith,  leading  to  prayer  and  eager  willinghood  to  submit  to 
the  guidance  of  Jehovah.  Be  it  ours  to  shun  the  former, 
and  to  cultivate  the  latter. 

After  a  hot  pursuit,  during  which  two  hundred  of  his  men 
were  obliged  to  halt  and  fall  out  of  the  ranks,  worn  out 

8* 


178  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

by  their  long  and  rapid  march,  David,  directed  by  a  poor 
Egyptian  slave,  came  up  with  the  Amalekites,  and  falling 
upon  them  when  they  were  feasting  and  making  merry,  he 
so  thoroughly  destroyed  them,  that  only  four  hundred  young 
men  who  rode  upon  camels  escaped  out  of  his  hand.  Best 
of  all,  he  recovered  all  the  women  and  children  who  had 
been  taken  captive,  and  returned  with  such  loads  of  spoil 
that,  after  satisfying  the  claims  of  all  his  soldiers,  he  sent 
presents  of  it  to  many  of  the  cities  of  Judah. 

But  while  he  was  thus  engaged  the  battle  had  been  raging 
fiercely  between  the  Philistines  and  Saul  on  Mount  Gilboa ; 
and  though  the  full  consideration  of  that  conflict  and  its  is- 
sues belongs  rather  to  the  history  of  Saul  than  to  the  life  of 
David,  we  must  ask  your  indulgence  while  we  seek  to  set  it 
somewhat  vividly  before  you. 

The  vale  of  Esdraelon,  whereon  so  many  decisive  battles 
in  the  world's  history  have  been  fought,  stretches  eastward 
across  central  Palestine.  It  is  of  a  triangular  shape,  having 
its  apex  westward  in  a  narrow  pass,  through  which  the  riv- 
er Kishon  runs  into  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Its  northern 
side  is  formed  by  the  hills  of  Galilee ;  its  southern  by  the 
hills  of  Samaria  ;  and  from  its  base  on  the  east,  three  branch 
plains,  separated  from  each  other  by  mountain  ridges,  run 
still  farther  eastward  on  to  the  Jordan.  The  northern  branch 
lies  between  Mount  Tabor  and  Little  Hermon ;  the  central 
branch  has  Little  Hermon  on  the  north  and  Gilboa  on  the 
south ;  and  the  southern  branch  is  between  Mount  Gilboa 
and  Jenim.  Now  the  Philistines,  on  the  present  occasion, 
were  in  the  central  one  of  these  three  branch  plains,  and 
were  encamped  at  the  base  of  Little  Hermon,  here  called 
Moreh,  hard  by  the  well  of  Harod.  Their  position  -was  ad- 
mirably chosen,  since,  with  a  gentle  slope  behind  them,  they 
had  in  front  a  level  place  of  some  two  or  three  miles  broad, 
well  fitted  for  those  military  chariots  on  which  they  so  much 
relied  for  success. 


ZIKLAG,  ENDOR,  AND  GILBOA.  179 

Saul  and  his  army  were  on  the  ridge  of  Mount  Gilboa, 
clinging  to  the  hills  with  that  instinctive  confidence  in  their 
strength  which  the  inhabitants  of  all  mountainous  districts 
feel.  From  his  elevated  post  of  observation  he  could  see  the 
whole  host  of  the  Philistines ;  and  the  sight  made  him  afraid, 
so  that  his  heart  trembled  greatly.  But  to  whom  could 
he  turn  for  succor  ?  Samuel  was  dead ;  Abiathar  and  the 
eph'od  were  with  David ;  and  ever,  as  he  thought  of  God,  it 
was  with  the  feeling  that  Jehovah  had  abandoned  him.  Had 
there  been  but  one  indication  of  sincere  repentance  given 
by  him  ;  had  he  humbled  himself  in  confession  of  sin  before 
the  Lord,  or  thrown  himself  on  his  covenant -keeping  faith- 
fulness, there  might,  even  yet,  have  been  deliverance.  But 
though  he  was  profoundly  conscious  that  all  his  calamities 
were  caused  by  the  fact  that  he  had  turned  against  the  Lord, 
he  went  and  did  that  which  could  only  widen  the  distance 
that  was  already  between  them.  Instead  of  calling  upon 
God  in  penitence  and  prayer,  he  sought  after  forbidden  su- 
perstitions, and  tried  to  obtain  by  the  help  of  magic — or  per- 
chance even,  in  his  view,  of  Satan — that  assistance  which  only 
God  could  give.  Here  is  the  great  difference  between  Saul 
in  his  sins,  and  David  in  his  backslidings.  From  each  of  his 
falls  you  hear  David  coming  sobbing  out  a  sorrowful  confes- 
sion and  appeal  like  that  in  the  5ist  Psalm;  in  each  of  Saul's 
wickednesses  you  see  him  assuming  the  attitude  of  sterner 
defiance  toward  the  Almighty ;  or  if  there  be  any  sorrow  in 
his  heart  at  all,  it  is  for  the  loss  he  has  himself  sustained,  or 
the  suffering  he  has  himself  endured,  and  not  for  the  dishon- 
or which  he  has  done  to  God.  Never,  however,  has  he  gone 
so  far  as  now,  when,  as  Dean  Stanley  says, "  Having  swerved 
from  the  moral  principle  which  alone  could  guide  it,  his  re- 
ligious zeal  was  turned  into  a  wild  and  desperate  supersti- 
tion."* Having  forsaken  God,  he  betook  himself  to  necro- 

*  "Jewish  Church,"  ii.,  28. 


180  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

mancy.  So  he  said  to  his  servants, "  Seek  me  a  woman  that 
hath  a  familiar  spirit,  that  I  may  go  to  her,  and  inquire  of 
her;"  and  they  replied,  "Behold,  there  is  a  woman  that  hath 
a  familiar  spirit  at  Endor."  On  receiving  this  information, 
he  disguised  himself,  and  took  his  way  across  the  valley  past 
the  carefully  guarded  host  of  the  Philistines,  and  up  over  the 
ridge  behind  them,  until  on  the  other  side  of  that  hill  he  came 
to  the  fountain  of  Dor,  in  one  of  the  caverns,  by  the  side  of 
which  dwelt  the  woman  of  whom  he  was  in  search.  It  was 
a  perilous  journey,  though  undertaken  under  the  cover  of 
night ;  and  nothing  could  have  induced  Saul  to  make  it,  but 
the  agony  of  the  feeling  that  his  last  opportunity  had  come, 
and  that  his  all  was  hanging  on  the  venture  of  the  morrow. 
When  he  came  to  the  woman,  she  was  reluctant  to  have  any 
thing  to  do  with  him,  fearing  lest  he  was  laying  a  trap  for  her 
destruction  ;  but  on  receiving  assurances  to  the  contrary,  she 
asked  whom  she  should  bring  up  to  him.  He  replied,  "Bring 
me  up  Samuel ;"  and  scarcely  had  his  words  been  uttered, 
when  the  apparition  of  the  prophet  so  startled  her  that  she 
cried  with  a  loud  voice ;  and,  coming  to  the  conviction  that 
it  was  Saul  himself  who  was  beside  her,  she  said,  "Why 
hast  thou  deceived  me  ?  for  thou  art  Saul."  Thereafter  he 
bade  her  fear  nothing,  and  asked  what  precisely  she  had 
seen,  for  as  yet  it  would  appear  that  nothing  had  been  visi- 
ble to  him.  She  told  him  that  she  saw  "gods,"  or  great  ones 
after  the  manner  of  gods,  ascending  out  of  the  earth  ;  and  in 
response  to  another  question,  she  informed  him  that  Samuel 
had  assumed  the  appearance  of  an  old  man  covered  with  a 
mantle.  As  he  looked  steadfastly  at  the  place  indicated  by 
the  woman,  the  apparition  shaped  itself  to  his  eye ;  and  see- 
ing it  was  Samuel  indeed,  he  bowed  himself  to  the  ground. 
"  Why  hast  thou  disquieted  me,  to  bring  me  up  ?"  said  the 
mysterious  visitant.  "  I  am  sore  distressed, "was  the  answer; 
"  for  the  Philistines  make  war  against  me,  and  God  is  depart- 


ZIKLAG,  ENDOR,  AND  GILBOA.  181 

ed  from  me,  and  answereth  me  no  more,  neither  by  prophets 
nor  by  dreams :  therefore  I  have  called  thee,  that  thou  may- 
est  make  known  unto  me  what  I  shall  do."  Oh,  the  wild  wail 
of  this  dark  misery !  There  is  a  deep  pathos  and  a  weird 
awesomeness  in  this  despairing  cry ;  but  there  is  no  confes- 
sion of  sin,  no  beseeching  for  meccy ;  nothing  but  the  great, 
overmastering  ambition  to  preserve  himself.  The  prophet  an- 
swered him  as  one  who  was  cognizant  of  all  this :  "Wherefore 
then  dost  thou  ask  of  me,  seeing  the  Lord  is  departed  from  thee, 
and  is  become  thine  enemy  ?  And  the  Lord  hath  done  to 
him,  as  he  spake  by  me  :  for  the  Lord  hath  rent  the  kingdom 
out  of  thine  hand,  and  given  it  to  thy  neighbor,  even  to  Da- 
vid :  because  thou  obeyedst  not  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  nor 
executedst  his  fierce  wrath  upon  Amalek,  therefore  hath  the 
Lord  done  this  thing  unto  thee  this  day.  Moreover,  the 
Lord  will  also  deliver  Israel  with  thee  into  the  hand  of  the 
Philistines :  and  to-morrow  shalt  thou  and  thy  sons  be  with 
me :  the  Lord  also  shall  deliver  the  host  of  Israel  into  the 
hand  of  the  Philistines."  When  he  heard  this  dreadful  fore- 
cast of  coming  calamity,  Saul  lost  that  stern  self-possession 
which  he  had  preserved  till  then,  and  fell  trembling  on  the 
ground  ;  but  with  many  entreaties,  his  servants  and  the  wom- 
an prevailed  upon  him  to  arise  and  partake  of  a  meal  which 
had  been  hastily  extemporized  for  his  necessity,  and  at  length, 
somewhat  refreshed  in  body,  but  crushed  in  spirit,  he  hasten- 
ed back  to  his  camp,  which  he  reached  before  the  morning 
broke. 

Concerning  this  singular  chapter  in  sacred  story,  two  ques- 
tions have  been  raised  :  these,  namely — Was  there  a  real  ap- 
pearance of  Samuel  here  ?  and  what  precisely  was  the  agen- 
cy of  the  woman  in  the  matter  ?  Some  have  supposed  that 
the  whole  scene,  including  the  solemn  words  put  into  the 
mouth  of  Samuel,  was  the  effect  of  secret  management  by  the 
woman,  aided,  perhaps,  by  ventriloquism,  and  by  one  or  more 


182  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

confederates.  Others,  again,  have  traced  the  whole  thing  to 
the  agency  of  Satan.  But  to  both  of  these  views  there  are, 
in  my  opinion,  insuperable  objections.  There  is  the  fair  and 
obvious  purport  of  the  narrative  itself,  which  gives  no  hint 
of  any  unreality  in  the  case.  There  is,  also,  the  full  and 
particular  prediction  of  the  events  of  the  corning  day,  which 
we  can  not  conceive  that  the  woman  could  have  given,  and 
which  we  dare  not  trace  to  the  agency  of  Satan.  Then,  be- 
sides these  considerations,  we  must  take  the  weight  due  to 
the  fact  that  in  the  original  there  is  no  word  corresponding 
to  the  English  "when"  (in  verse  12  of  chapter  xxviii.);  and 
again,  that  in  verse  14,  in  the  clause,  "And  Saul  perceived 
that  it  was  Samuel,"  the  Hebrew  reads,  "And  Saul  perceived 
that  it  was  Samuel  himself."  Now  this,  being  an  assertion 
of  the  narrator,  seems  to  me  to  settle  the  matter,  and  to  de- 
termine that  Samuel  was  actually  there.  But  if  this  were  so, 
what  had  the  woman  to  do  with  bringing  him  up  ?  To  this 
I  answer  :  Literally  nothing.  Observe,  as  soon  as  Saul  said, 
"  Bring  me  up  Samuel,"  she  saw  him,  and  was  dreadfully 
alarmed  by  the  spectacle.  But  why  should  she  have  been 
thus  terrified,  if  the  whole  thing  had  been  only  of  her  own 
upraising  ?  The  truth  is,  that  before  she  had  begun  her  en- 
chantments, Samuel  appeared  and  startled  her  out  of  her 
cool  and  cunning  self-possession.  How,  then,  do  we  ac- 
count for  his  appearance?  I  reply,  without  any  hesitation, 
that  he  was  brought  thither  by  the  miraculous  agency  of 
God  himself.  But  to  this  it  may  be  objected  that  it  seems 
strange  that  Jehovah  should  refuse  to  answer  Saul  through 
the  recognized  channels,  and  then  take  this  peculiar  manner 
of  responding  to  his  appeal.  And  there  is  some  force  in 
such  a  Statement;  but  it  is  to  be  observed  that  Saul  asked 
for  direction  as  to  what  he  should  do,  and  that  Samuel  gives 
no  reply  to  that  entreaty,  but  only  utters  words  of  condem- 
nation. For  the  rest,  the  appearance  of  Samuel,  as  the  re- 


ZIKLAG,  ENDOR,  AND  GILBOA.  183 

suit  of  God's  own  agency,  is  a  fulfillment,  or  rather,  as  one 
ought,  perhaps,  to  say,  an  anticipation,  of  those  words  spoken 
long  afterward  by  the  prophet  Ezekiel  (xiv.,  7).  "  For  every 
one  of  the  house  of  Israel,  or  of  the  stranger  that  sojourneth 
in  Israel,  which  separateth  himself  from  me,  and  setteth  up 
his  idols  in  his  heart,  and  putteth  the  stumbling-block  of  his 
iniquity  before  his  face,  and  cometh  to  a  prophet"  (that  is, 
of  course,  a  false  prophet)  "  to  inquire  of  him  concerning 
me ;  I  the  Lord  will  answer  him  by  myself."  Just  as  when 
Ahaziah  sent  a  messenger  to  inquire  at  Baal-zebub,  the  god 
of  Ekron,  Jehovah  commissioned  his  own  Elijah  to  intercept 
the  messenger,  and  give  his  own  response ;  so  when  Saul 
went  to  Endor,  God  anticipated  the  pretended  necromancy 
of  the  witch,  and  sent  the  real  Samuel  to  pronounce  words 
of  doom  over  the  disobedient  monarch.  Hence  the  connec- 
tion of  the  woman  with  this  vision  was  merely  accidental. 
She  was  in  no  sense  its  procuring  cause.  The  whole  thing 
is  to  be  traced  to  God.  Even  as  on  the  wall  of  the  banquet- 
ing-hall  wherein  Belshazzar  was  defying  Jehovah,  by  his  sac- 
rilegious use  of  the  vessels  of  the  sanctuary,  the  hand  of  des- 
tiny came  forth  to  write  his  sentence  in  mystic  characters, 
which  only  Daniel  could  interpret,  so  now  at  the  cave,  to 
which  Saul  had  come,  to  deal  with  a  familiar  spirit,  thereby 
committing,  as  Trench  has  said,  "the  nearest  approach  to 
the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost  which  was  possible  for  one 
under  the  old  covenant,"*  Jehovah  confronted  him,  and,, 
through  the  mouth  of  the  upraised  Samuel,  set  before  him 
his  terrible  guilt  and  its  fearful  result.  Alas  for  Saul !  how 
changed  is  he  now  from  that  day  when  Samuel  communed 
with  him  concerning  the  kingdom,  or  when,  in  the  first  noble 
assertion  of  his  royal  right,  he  delivered  the  men  of  Jabesh- 
gilead  from  their  threatened  destruction  !  Did  ever  promise 
of  so  fair  a  life  ripen  into  such  bitter  fruit  ? 

*  "  Shipwrecks  of  Faith,"  by  Archbishop  Trench,  p.  45. 


184  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

With  the  returning  day,  the  battle  opened  between  Israel 
and  the  Philistines.  Saul  was  but  ill  fitted,  by  the  fatigue 
and  excitement  of  the  night,  for  the  fierce  affray,  and  his 
troops  were  sorely  worsted  by  their  enemies.  Their  posi- 
tion was  badly  chosen  for  the  purposes  of  retreat ;  and  as 
they  ascended  the  slopes  of  Gilboa  they  became  conspicu- 
ous marks  for  the  dexterous  archers  among  their  pursuers. 
Hence  a  vast  multitude  were  slain,  and  among  these  were 
the  three  eldest  sons  of  Saul.  The  king  himself,  as  the  day 
advanced,  was  sorely,  probably  mortally,  wounded  ;  and  fear- 
ing lest,  in  his  weak  condition,  he  should  be  abused  and  tor- 
tured by  the  Philistines,  he  besought  his  armor-bearer  to  dis- 
patch him  at  once.  But  with  natural  affection  for  his  mas- 
ter, he  refused  to  obey  such  a  command,  and  Saul  fell  upon 
his  own  sword  ;  whereupon  his  servant  followed  his  example, 
and  committed  suicide.  A  wandering  Amalekite,  who  had 
perhaps  been  seeking  spoil  on  the  battle-field,  found  the  dead 
body  of  the  monarch,  and  taking  from  it  the  crown  and  the 
bracelet  by  which  it  was  distinguished,  hastened  with  them 
to  Ziklag,  and  gave  them  to  David.  He  alleged,  besides, 
that  he  had  himself  slain  Saul,  thinking  thereby  to  win  the 
favor  of  David  for  doing  him  such  a  service.  But  he  little 
knew  with  whom  he  had  to  do  ;  for  David's  reverence  for  the 
Lord's  anointed  could  not  brook  the  thought  that  he  should 
be  slain  by  a  wicked  Amalekite  ;  so,  holding  him  guilty  on 
'his  own  showing,  he  put  him  to  death. 

Then,  as  the  news  of  the  fate  of  Saul,  and  especially  of 
Jonathan,  filled  his  heart,  he  called  his  men  around  him,  and, 
taking  his  harp,  he  sang  that  noble  elegy,  which,  known  to 
his  own  countrymen  as  the  "  Song  of  the  Bow,"  has  been  ex- 
tracted from  the  book  of  Jasher  by  the  sacred  historian,  and 
embalmed  for  us  in  the  annals  of  the  chosen  people.  It  is 
introduced  by  these  words :  "Also  he  bade  them  teach  the 
children  of  Judah  the  use  of  the  bow ;  behold  it  is  written  in 


ZIKLAG,  ENDOR,  AND  GILBOA.  185 

the  book  of  Jasher."  The  words  "  the  use  of"  are  in  italics, 
as  not  in  the  original.  So  we  may  read,  "  He  bade  them 
teach  the  children  of  Judah  the  bow ;"  that  is,  the  song  call- 
ed "  The  Bow."  Now  the  appropriateness  of  this  title  to 
the  song  will  appear  when  you  mark  how  prominently  the 
bow  is  mentioned  in  one  of  its  strains,  and  remember  that  it 
was  specially  designed  as  a  memorial  of  Jonathan,  who  was 
famous  for  his  excellence  in  the  use  of  that  weapon.  Not 
only  did  he  belong  to  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  whose  sons 
were  noted  archers,  but  it  was  with  his  bow  and  sling  that 
he  won  his  first  victory  at  Michmash ;  with  his  bow  he  sent 
the  arrows  by  the  stone  Ezel,  when  David  parted  from  him 
after  their  mutual  covenant ;  and  among  the  most  cherished 
possessions  of  the  son  of  Jesse  was  that  bow  which,  after 
the  slaughter  of  Goliath,  Jonathan  had  given  to  him  as  a 
token  of  affection.  Hence,  from  its  reference  to  Jonathan, 
as  well,  perhaps,  as  from  the  fact  that  it  was  designed  to  be 
sung  by  the  men  of  Judah  when  they  were  practicing  the 
bow,  this  lament  was  called  by  that  name. 

The  book  of  Jasher  seems  to  have  been  a  collection  of 
ancient  Jewish  songs,  or  ballads,  corresponding,  in  some  de- 
gree, to  the  minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border,  the  only  other 
quotation  from  it  in  Scripture  being  the  poetical  commemo- 
ration of  the  victory  of  Joshua  in  the  Valley  of  Ajalon. 

It  is  not  needful,  surely,  that  I  should  enter  into  a  minute 
analysis  of  this  beautiful  ode.  It  can  scarcely  be  called  ei- 
ther a  psalm  or  a  hymn.  We  can  hardly  even  regard  it  as  a 
specimen  of  religious  poetry.  It  is  rather  what  Dean  Stan- 
ley has  called  "  an  example  of  pure  poetic  inspiration,"  and 
as  poetry  its  language  is  to  be  interpreted  ;  that  is  to  say, 
something  of  poetic  license  and  exaggeration  has  to  be  dis- 
counted from  it  when  we  translate  it  into  prose.  It  was  a 
testimony  of  David's  life-long  attachment  to  Jonathan,  while 
at  the  same  time  his  references  to  Saul  indicate  that,  in  the 


1 86  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

holy  presence  of  death,  David  had  learned  to  forget  and  for- 
give the  wrongs  which  he  had  received,  and  desired  to  dwell 
only  on  the  good  and  great  qualities  of  his  former  antago- 
nist. All  after-generations  have  recognized  the  lyric  grand- 
eur of  this  noble  poem.  Over  the  grave  of  the  Cid,  near 
Burgos,  in  Spain,*  its  last  stanza  is  engraved,  as  the  most 
fitting  memento  of  a  mighty  man  ;  and  to  this  day,  when  a 
great  man  is  carried  to  his  sepulchre,  the  most  appropriate 
music  for  the  occasion  is  found  in  that  exquisite  composition 
which  seeks  to  express  in  sound  this  threnody  of  David,  and 
which  is  known  among  us  as  "The  Dead  March  in  Saul." 

"  The  wild-roe  of  Israel,  slain  upon  thy  high  places  : 
How  are  the  mighty  fallen  ! 

Tell  it  not  in  Gath,  publish  it  not  in  the  streets  of  Askelon ; 
Lest  the  daughters  of  the  Philistines  rejoice, 
Lest  the  daughters  of  the  uncircumcised  triumph. 
Ye  mountains  of  Gilboa,  nor  dew,  nor  rain  be  upon  you, 
Nor  fields  of  offerings  : 

For  there  the  shield  of  the  mighty  was  vilely  cast  away, 
The  shield  of  Saul,  not  anointed  with  oil. 
From  the  blood  of  the  slain,  from  the  fat  of  the  mighty, 
The  bow  of  Jonathan  turned  not  back, 
And  the  sword  of  Saul  returned  not  empty. 
Saul  and  Jonathan  !  lovely  and  pleasant ! 
In  their  lives  and  in  their  death  they  were  undivided  : 
Than  eagles  they  were  swifter  !  than  lions  they  were  stronger ! 
Ye  daughters  of  Israel,  weep  over  Saul, 
Who  clothed  you  in  scarlet,  with  other  delights ; 
Who  put  ornaments  of  gold  upon  your  apparel. 
How  are  the  mighty  fallen  in  the  midst  of  the  battle  ! 

0  Jonathan,  thou  wast  slain  in  thine  high  places. 

1  am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brother  Jonathan : 
Very  pleasant  hast  thou  been  unto  me  : 

Thy  love  to  me  was  wonderful,  passing  that  of  women. 

How  are  the  mighty  fallen,  and  perished  the  weapons  of  war  !" 

*  Stanley's  "Jewish  Church,"  ii.,  37. 


ZIKLAG,  ENDOR,  AND  GILBOA.  187 

The  .  Philistines,  however,  had  nothing  of  the  generous 
magnanimity  of  David ;  for  when  they  found  the  bodies  of 
Saul  and  his  sons,  they  cut  off  the  head  of  the  king,  and 
stripped  off  his  armor,  sending  the  former  to  the  temple  of 
Dagon,  and  the  latter  to  the  house  of  Astaroth.  Then  they 
fixed  the  headless  trunk,  along  with  the  bodies  of  his  sons, 
to  the  wall  of  Bethshan,  a  town  at  the  head  of  the  Valley  of 
Jezreel,  looking  down  into  the  Valley  of  the  Jordan.  And 
now  we  have  the  record  of  a  deed  of  gratitude  which  con- 
nects the  closing  act  of  this  sad  tragedy  with  the  first  brill- 
iant deed  of  Saul  as  king  in  Israel ;  for  the  men  of  Jabesh- 
gilead,  remembering  how  much  they  had  owed,  in  their  peril, 
to  his  promptitude  and  prowess,  arose,  and  went  at  night, 
and  took  the  bodies  of  Saul  and  his  sons  from  the  wall  of 
Bethshan,  and  burned  them  there,  and  took  their  bones  and 
buried  them  under  a  tree  in  Jabesh,  where  they  remained, 
until  many  years  afterward,  when  David,  then  an  old  man, 
took  them,  and  buried  them  in  the  country  of  Benjamin,  in 
Zelah,  in  the  sepulchre  of  Kish,  his  father. 

So  ends  the  history  of  Saul.  But  we  may  not  pass  from 
it  without  staying  for  a  moment  to  point  the  lesson  which  it 
so  impressively  teaches.  It  may  be  given  in  the  words  of 
David  himself,  at  a  later  date,  to  Solomon,  his  son  :  "  Serve 
God  with  a  perfect  heart,  and  with  a  willing  mind  :  for  the 
Lord  searcheth  all  hearts,  and  understandeth  all  the  imagi- 
nations of  the  thoughts  :  if  thou  seek  him,  he  will  be  found  of 
thee  :  but  if  thou  forsake  him,  he  will  cast  thee  off  forever." 
Some  may  think,  indeed,  that,  in  the  record  of  David's  histo- 
ry over  which  we  have  passed  to-night,  we  have  come  upon 
blacker  spots  than  any  which  we  have  found  in  the  biogra- 
phy of  Saul.  And  no  doubt,  as  Archbishop  Trench  has 
said,  "  He  was  clear  of  offenses  which  make  some  pages  of 
David's  history  nothing  better  than  one  huge  blot."*  But  then 

*  "  Shipwrecks  of  Faith,"  p.  48. 


1 88  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

David  knew  that  he  had  sinned,  and  turned  from  his  iniquity 
in  penitent  confession  unto  God.  Now  we  look  in  vain  for 
any  thing  like  this  in  Saul.  If  on  any  occasion  he  seems  to 
use  the  words  of  regret,  they  are  merely  superficial,  and  come 
not  from  the  depths  of  his  soul.  He  cared  more  for  being 
honored  before  the  people,  than  for  being  accepted  by  the 
Lord ;  and  even  in  this  last  climax  of  his  misery,  his  con- 
cern is  not  that  God  may  forgive  him,  but  merely  that  he 
may  vanquish  his  enemies  in  battle.  In  view  of  all  this,  we 
are  almost  tempted  to  exclaim,  with  the  eminent  prelate  from 
whom  I  have  already  quoted,  "  How  much  better  it  would 
have  been  to  have  sinned  like  David,  if  only  he  had  repented 
like  David ;  if  a  temper  resembling  at  all  the  temper  which 
dictated  the  5ist  Psalm  had  found  place  in  him.  But  all 
this  was  far  from  him.  Darkness  is  closing  round  him  ;  an- 
guish has  taken  hold  of  him ;  but  the  broken  and  the  con- 
trite heart,  there  is  no  remotest  sign  of  this  ;  no  reaching  out 
after  the  blood  of  sprinkling.  We  listen,  but  no  voice  is 
heard  like  his  who  exclaimed, '  Purge  me  with  hyssop,  and  I 
shall  be  clean  ;  wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow ;' 
but  dark,  defiant,  and  unbelieving,  he  who  had  inspired  such 
high  hopes  goes  forward  to  meet  his  doom."*  Surely,  from 
such  a  history  as  that  we  may  well  rise  with  the  prayer  upon 
our  lips :  "  Oh  for  the  broken  and  the  contrite  heart,  which 
God  will  not  despise."  David's  sins  sent  him  weeping  to 
the  mercy-seat.  Saul's  sins  sent  him  defiant  and  unbending 
to  the  cave  of  Endor :  there  is  the  root  of  the  difference  be- 
tween the  two. 

Again :  in  the  history  of  Saul  we  see  how,  with  such  a 
disposition,  a  man's  character  will  go  on  deteriorating,  until 
there  is  little  or  no  good  left  in  it.  There  was  much  of  no- 
bleness about  him  when  we  met  him  first;  but  now,  alas  !  as 

*  "  Shipwrecks  of  Faith,"  pp.  48,  49. 


ZIKLAG,  ENDOR,  AND  GILBOA.  189 

we  see  him  at  Endor,  he  is  the  moral  wreck  of  his  former  self. 
The  enamel  of  his  conscience  having  once  been  broken,  that 
noble  faculty  crumbled  gradually  away,  until  at  length  he  com- 
mitted a  sin  at  thought  of  which  at  first  he  would  have  shud- 
dered, and  which  at  one  time  he  punished  in  others  with  jeal- 
ous severity.  You  can  see  a  contrary  process  to  all  this  in  such 
a  man  as  Jacob,  who,  though  repulsive  to  every  reader  in  his 
early  history,  grows  upon  us  latterly,  until  we  come  to  rank  him 
among  Faith's  noblest  worthies.  Now  how  shall  we  explain 
the  difference  between  the  two  ?  We  explain  it  by  the  dif- 
ference in  the  relation  of  each  to  God.  The  one  gave  back 
to  God  all  that  he  had  received  from  him,  and,  as  the  result, 
got  it  back  again  himself,  exalted  and  ennobled  by  the  con- 
secration ;  but  the  other  carried  every  thing  away  from  God, 
and  endeavored  to  assert  his  independence  of  the  Almighty. 
"  They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  renew  their  youth ;"  but  they 
that  depart  from  him  become  "  weary  in  the  greatness  of 
their  way,"  and  lose  all  the  elements  of  noblest  manhood. 
Young  men,  if  you  would  conserve  your  purity,  your  intellect- 
ual vigor,  and  your  moral  excellence,  consecrate  them  all  to 
God,  and  keep  them  all  for  him.  Thus  shall  you  escape  the 
deterioration  which  else  must  overtake  you,  and  your  path 
shall  be  like  that  of  the  just,  which  "  shineth  more  and  more, 
unto  the  perfect  day." 

Finally  :  let  us  learn  from  the  history  of  Saul  that  this  life 
is  a  probation.  God  put  this  man  into  a  kingdom,  with 
splendid  opportunities  and  ample  resources ;  but  he  did  not 
rise  to  his  responsibility,  and  these  were  taken  from  him. 
But  have  we  received  nothing  from  the  hand  of  God  ?  To 
whom  do  we  owe  our  lives,  our  Gospel  privileges,  and  our 
means  of  serving  our  generation  ?  Have  we  improved  these  ? 
Are  we  improving  them  ?  If  not,  then  let  us  learn  the  lesson 
of  this  sad  life,  lest  at  length  the  Lord  should  say  over  us,  as 
he  did  over  Jerusalem  :  "  If  thou  haclst  known,  even  thou,  at 


i  go  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

least  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  which  belong  unto  thy  peace ! 
but  now  they  are  hid  from  thine  eyes ;"  "  behold  now  thine 
house  is  left  unto  thee  desolate."  Again  and  again  the  tide 
of  opportunity  may  rise,  and  one  may  float  upon  it  almost 
into  safety,  even  as  Saul  was  repeatedly  found  "  among  the 
prophets ;"  but  if  such  times  of  visitation  are  continually 
slighted  by  us,  we  may  not  count  upon  their  recurrence,  for 
there  shall  come  a  day  when  they  shall  end  forever.  Listen, 
I  beseech  you,  to  this  word  of  warning,  which  comes  to  us 
from  the  mountains  of  Gilboa, "  He  that  being  often  reproved 
hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  suddenly  be  cut  off,  and  that  with- 
out remedy." 


XL 

HEBRON  AND   JERUSALEM. 

2  SAMUEL  ii.-v.,  10;  i  CHRONICLES  xi.-xiL 

THE  defeat  of  the  Israelites  on  Mount  Gilboa  utterly 
disconcerted  them,  and  left  the  Philistines  masters  of 
the  situation,  so  that  neither  the  representatives  of  the  house 
of  Saul,  nor  David  and  his  band,  could  do  very  much  for  the 
furtherance  of  the  ends  which  they  severally  had  in  view. 

What  they  could  do,  however,  they  did  promptly.  Abner, 
Saul's  cousin,  and  the  captain  of  his  host,  fleeing  from  the 
field  of  battle,  took  with  him  Ishbosheth,  Saul's  fourth  son, 
and,  crossing  the  Jordan,  settled  for  the  time  at  Mahanaim, 
where  he  proclaimed  Ishbosheth  king.  David,  having  asked 
counsel  of  the  Lord,  went,  by  direction  of  the  oracle,  to  He- 
bron, where  the  men  of  his  own  tribe  rallied  to  his  standard, 
and  anointed  him  king  over  themselves.  Here  we  are  told 
that  he  reigned  seven  years  and  six  months ;  but  as  in  the 
verse  immediately  following  that  which  gives  us  this  infor- 
mation it  is  stated  that  Ishbosheth  reigned  over  Israel  two 
years,  there  is  an  appearance  of  discrepancy  between  the  two 
declarations  ;  since,  if  Ishbosheth  was  anointed  at  Mahana- 
im at  the  time  when  David  set  up  his  court  at  Hebron,  their 
reigns  would  be  of  equal  duration.  The  best  solution  of  the 
difficulty  which  I  have  seen  is  that  given  by  Mr.  Wright,* 
who  says,  "  Immediately  after  Saul's  death,  Abner,  we  sup- 
pose, made  Ishbosheth  king  at  Mahanaim  over  Gilead,  that 
is,  over  those  Israelites  east  of  the  Jordan  who  had  not  sub- 

*  "  David,  King  of  Israel,"  by  Josiah  Wright,  M.  A.,  pp.  247,  248. 


192  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

mitted  to  the  Philistines.  But  it  was  Abner's  aim  to  drive 
the  invaders  utterly  out  of  the  land,  and  to  build  up  again 
from  its  ruins  the  kingdom  of  Saul.  This,  however,  could 
not  be  done  at  once.  The  Philistines  could  only  gradually 
be  dislodged,  and  the  enumeration  of  districts  which  we  have 
in  the  ninth  verse  (2  Sam.  ii.)  seems  to  tally  with  the  natu- 
ral order  of  the  conquests  by  which  Abner's  aim  was  accom- 
plished. First,  he  drove  the  Philistines  out  of  the  coasts  of 
Asshur ;  secondly,  out  of  the  Valley  of  Jezreel ;  then  from 
the  mountains  of  Ephraim ;  lastly,  from  the  hill  fortresses  of 
Benjamin.  And  having  now  touched  the  frontiers  of  Judah, 
he  caused  Ishbosheth  to  be  proclaimed  anew  over  the  whole 
of  recovered  Israel ;  for  so  early  do  we  find  all  that  was  not 
Judah  distinguished  by  this  name."  Allowing,  then,  five  and 
a  half  years  for  Abner's  reconquest  of  the  land,  we  have  two 
years  left  for  the  long  war  between  the  house  of  Saul  and 
the  house  of  David,  which  ended  in  the  dominion  of  the 
latter. 

The  city  in  which,  by  divine  direction,  David  established 
himself,  was  not  only  one  of  the  most  ancient  in  existence, 
but  also  one  which  was  encircled  with  associations  which  to 
an  Israelite  must  have  been  peculiarly  sacred.  There  Abra- 
ham, the  father  of  the  faithful,  sojourned  for  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  life  in  Canaan  ;  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood was  the  oak  of  Mamre,  beneath  which  the  patriarch 
had  so  often  offered  sacrifice  to  Jehovah ;  and  hard  by  was 
the  cave  of  Machpelah,  in  which  he  buried  the  remains  of 
Sarah,  and  in  which  his  own  ashes,  and  those  of  Isaac  and 
Jacob,  were  afterward  deposited.  Hence,  of  all  the  cities  of 
Palestine  at  that  date,  it  must  have  had  the  richest  attrac- 
tions to  the  chosen  people ;  and  even  yet,  in  its  modern 
name,  El-Khulil — the  Friend — we  can  see  a  reference  to  him 
who  was  styled,  by  way  of  eminence,  the  Friend  of  God.  In 
the  days  of  Joshua  the  surrounding  territory  was  given  to 


HEBRON  AND  JERUSALEM.  193 

Caleb,  and  it  was  made  a  city  of  refuge,  and  a  city  of  the 
Levites.  It  was,  besides,  one  of  the  places  to  which  David 
sent  a  portion  of  the  spoils  which  he  had  taken  from  the 
Amalekites.  Hence,  both  from  its  holy  associations,  its 
central  situation,  and  the  probable  favor  of  its  inhabitants 
toward  him,  it  was  a  most  appropriate  place  for  David's 
capital. 

Here  over  the  little  kingdom  of  Judah  he  served,  so  to  say, 
an  apprenticeship  to  monarchy ;  and  from  this,  in  due  sea- 
son, he  graduated  with  honor,  as  one  fitted  and  entitled  to 
sit  upon  the  throne  of  Israel  in  Jerusalem. 

It  was  most  probably  in  connection  with  his  anointing  at 
Hebron  that  David  composed  what  I  may  call  the  Inaugu- 
ration Psalm,  known  among  us  as  the  zoist.  "It  is,"*  says 
Dean  Stanley,  "  full  of  a  stern  exclusiveness,  of  a  noble  in- 
tolerance ;  but  not  against  theological  error,  not  against  un- 
courtly  manners,  not  against  political  insubordination,  but 
against  the  proud  heart,  the  high  look,  the  secret  slanderer, 
the  deceitful  worker,  the  teller  of  lies.  These  are  the  out- 
laws from  King  David's  court ;  these  alone  are  the  rebels 
and  heretics  that  he  would  not  suffer  to  dwell  in  his  house  or 
tarry  in  his  sight." 

The  great  national  celebration  which  has  just  been  held  at 
Washington!  gives  this  Psalm  a  peculiar  present  interest  for 
us ;  while,  alas !  the  disclosures  of  the  past  months  make  man- 
ifest that  the  resolutions  which  it  expresses  are  as  much  re- 
quired to-day  in  the  case  of  the  chief  magistrate  of  this  great 
republic,  as  they  were  in  the  times  at  which  they  were  first 
formed  by  David.  Let  us  read  it  with  our  own  legislators, 
governors,  and  president  in  mind  ;  and  let  us,  while  we  read 
it,  lift  up  our  hearts  in  prayer  for  them,  that  they  may  all  be 
disposed  and  strengthened  to  act  according  to  its  principles. 

*  "  Jewish  Church,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  89. 

t  The  inauguration  of  General  Grant  to  his  second  term  of  office,  1873. 

9 


194  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

"I  will  sing  of  mercy  and  judgment :  unto  thee,  O  Lord,  will 
I  sing.  I  will  behave  myself  wisely  in  a  perfect  way.  O 
when  wilt  thou  come  unto  me  ?  I  will  walk  within  my  house 
with  a  perfect  heart.  I  will  set  no  wicked  thing  before  mine 
eyes :  I  hate  the  work  of  them  that  turn  aside ;  it  shall  not 
cleave  to  me.  A  froward  heart  shall  depart  from  me  :  I  will 
not  know  a  wicked  person.  Whoso  privily  slandereth  his 
neighbor,  him  will  I  cut  off:  him  that  hath  a  high  look  and 
a  proud  heart  will  not  I  suffer.  Mine  eyes  shall  be  upon 
the  faithful  of  the  land,  that  they  may  dwell  with  me  :  he 
that  walketh  in  a  perfect  way,  he  shall  serve  me.  He  that 
worketh  deceit  shall  not  dwell  within  my  house  :  he  that  tell- 
eth  lies  shall  not  tarry  in  my  sight.  I  will  early  destroy  all 
the  wicked  of  the  land ;  that  I  may  cut  off  all  wicked  doers 
from  the  city  of  the  Lord." 

David's  first  public  act  after  his  anointing  was  one  in 
which  we  see  both  chivalry  and  policy  united.  He  sent  a 
message  of  thanks  to  the  men  of  Jabesh-gilead  for  their  no- 
ble conduct  in  rescuing  the  bodies  of  Saul  and  his  sons  from 
dishonor ;  and  while  invoking  the  blessing  of  God  upon 
them,  he  delicately  intimated  to  them  that  his  brethren  of 
Judah  had  made  him  their  king.  No  doubt  his  regard  for 
the  memory  of  Jonathan  had  something  to  do  with  the  send- 
ing of  this  message ;  yet  I  suppose  that  this  noble  motive 
was  slightly  alloyed  by  the  anticipation  that  those  who  re- 
ceived it  would  be  forward  to  tender  to  him  their  allegiance. 
But  if  that  hope  entered  at  all  into  his  calculations,  it  was 
doomed  to  disappointment,  for  the  men  of  Jabesh  made  no 
response.  Perhaps  they  remembered  to  David's  disadvan- 
tage his  recent  sojourn  among  the  Philistines,  and  were  sus- 
picious of  one  who  had,  in  their  view,  so  compromised  him- 
self with  their  enemies ;  or  perhaps  the  influence  of  Ishbo- 
sheth  and  Abner,  who  were  in  their  immediate  neighbor- 
hood, added  to  their  own  feeling  of  attachment  to  the  house 


HEBRON  AND  JERUSALEM.  195 

of  Saul  for  what  he  had  done  for  them,  kept  them  from  giv- 
ing any  heed  to  the  overtures  of  David  ;  in  any  case,  noth- 
ing came  out  of  this  politic  "bid"  of  David's  for  their  support. 

So,  for  at  least  five  and  a  half  years,  if  we  have  been  right 
in  our  interpretation  of  the  tenth  and  eleventh  verses  of  the 
second  chapter  of  2  Samuel,  David  lived  in  the  city  of  He- 
bron in  peace.  During  this  period,  thinking  probably,  like 
other  Eastern  chiefs,  that  his  greatness  as  a  ruler  would  be 
estimated  by  the  number  of  his  wives,  he  added  four  to  those 
whom  he  had  already  wedded.  Among  these  was  Maachah, 
the  daughter  of  Talmai,  king  of  Geshur,  one  of  the  tribes 
on  whom  he  had  inflicted  such  cruelty  while  he  sojourned 
at  Ziklag.  This  alliance,  besides  being  a  case  of  polygamy, 
which  is  always  prolific  in  unhappiness,  was  a  flagrant  vio- 
lation of  the  divine  command,  which  forbade  the  Israelites 
to  intermarry  with  the  people  of  the  land  ;  and  let  it  be  no- 
ted here,  that  from  this  concubinage  came  Absalom,  whose 
after  -  history  so  wrung  the  heart  of  David,  and  made  him 
feel "  how  sharper  than  a  serpent's  tooth  it  is  to  have  a 
thankless  child."  God's  law,  whether  physical  or  spiritual, 
whether  positive  or  moral,  can  not  be  contravened  with  im- 
punity. A  man's  sin  will,  sooner  or  later,  find  him  out ;  and 
he  may  rest  assured  that,  in  some  way  or  other,  God  will 
bring  it  to  his  remembrance. 

But  David's  peace  at  Hebron  was  not  to  remain  unbroken ; 
for,  after  conquering  those  whom  we  have  already  named, 
Abner,  in  whose  hands  Ishbosheth  seems  to  have  been  little 
else  than  a  weak  tool,  advanced  to  attack  David.  The  rival 
armies  confronted  each  other  at  Gibeon.  They  attempted  to 
settle  their  differences,  at  first,  by  a  kind  of  duel  between  two 
companies  of  twelve  men ;  but  when  these  had  slain  each 
other,  a  fierce  battle  ensued,  in  which  Abner  and  his  host 
were  defeated  and  put  to  flight.  The  army  of  David  was 
commanded  by  his  nephew  Joab,  who  here  for  the  first  time 


196  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

appears  in  the  history,  and  who  was  supported  by  his  broth- 
ers Abishai  and  Asahel.  The  last-mentioned  of  these  war- 
like brothers  was  distinguished  by  his  fleetness  of  foot,  and 
in  the  pursuit  of  the  retreating  enemy  he  pressed  sore  upon 
Abner,  evidently  bent  on  securing  his  destruction.  But  con- 
scious of  his  own  strength,  and  perhaps  also  knowing  some- 
thing of  the  implacable  disposition  of  Joab,  Abner  desired  to 
spare  his  pursuer,  and  urged  him  to  return.  When,  however, 
this  advice  was  disregarded,  he  put  Asahel  to  death ;  and 
the  sight  of  his  body,  as  he  lay  covered  with  blood,  robbed 
victory  of  its  glory  in  the  eyes  of  David's  soldiers,  and  filled 
the  heart  of  Joab  with  a  terrible  purpose  of  revenge,  which 
he  carried  out  in  the  most  deceitful  manner  at  a  later  day. 

The  war  thus  begun  between  the  house  of  David  and  the 
house  of  Saul  lasted  a  long  time  ;  but  when  it  was  seen  that 
the  former  was  continually  gaining  the  advantage,  the  people 
of  the  land,  weary  of  the  strife,  and  longing  for  the  blessings 
of  peace,  began  to  incline  to  the  side  of  the  stronger,  and 
spoke  of  putting  David  on  the  throne.  Seeing  this,  Abner, 
with  the  instinct  of  a  cunning,  selfish,  and  unprincipled  man, 
prepared  to  save  himself  by  going  over  to  the  ranks  of  Da- 
vid, and  taking  the  kingdom  of  Ishbosheth  with  him.  A 
pretext  was  soon  found  for  carrying  out  his  design ;  for  when 
Ishbosheth  faulted  him  for  claiming  one  of  his  father's  con- 
cubines, which  in  Eastern  etiquette  was  the  next  thing  to 
claiming  the  throne  itself,  he  became  indignant,  and  swore 
this  angry  oath :  "  So  do  God  to  Abner,  and  more  also,  ex- 
cept, as  the  Lord  hath  sworn  to  David,  even  so  I  do  to  him ; 
to  translate  the  kingdom  from  the  house  of  Saul,  and  to 
set  up  the  throne  of  David  over  Israel  and  over  Judah,  from 
Dan  even  to  Beersheba."  What  a  depth  of  wickedness  does 
this  reveal !  He  knew  all  the  while  that  he  was  fighting  not 
against  David  only,  but  against  God.  Why,  then,  did  he 
fight  against  him  so  long  ?  Because  he  judged  it  best  for  his 


HEBRON  AND  JERUSALEM.  197 

own  interests  so  to  do.  And  why  does  he  propose  to  join 
David  now  ?  Because  his  pride  has  been  wounded,  and  he 
thinks  he  can  make  good  terms  with  David  for  his  future 
eminence.  Thus  he  had  no  regard  to  God  all  through.  He 
thought  only  for  himself,  and  his  introduction  of  Jehovah's 
name  into  his  asseveration  is  the  most  sickening  profanity. 

When  he  opened  up  negotiations  with  David  for  the  trans- 
fer of  the  kingdom,  the  son  of  Jesse  did  not  show  himself 
overeager  to  respond.  He,  too,  had  his  dignity  to  consult, 
and  he  declared  that  he  could  not  enter  into  a  league  with 
him  until  he  had  sent  unto  him  Michal,  the  daughter  of  Saul, 
whom  he  had  first  wedded.  A  man  who  had  already  six 
wives  had  no  great  need  for  a  seventh,  and  we  do  not  sup- 
pose that  there  was  much  affection  for  Michal  remaining  in 
David's  heart.  Still,  she  had  been  wrongfully  taken  from 
him,  and  the  giving  of  her  to  another  was  a  grievous  and  de- 
liberate insult  offered  to  him  by  Saul,  for  which  it  was  natu- 
ral that  he  should  now  desire  some  sort  of  apology.  More- 
over, the  making  of  such  a  request  to  Abner  would  be  an  ad- 
mirable test  of  his  sincerity ;  and  so,  when  it  was  at  once 
complied  with,  he  declared  his  readiness  to  enter  into  nego- 
tiations with  him.  Thereupon,  after  communicating  with  the 
elders  of  Israel  and  with  his  kinsmen  of  the  tribe  of  Benja- 
min, Abner  went  to  Hebron,  accompanied  by  twenty  men  ; 
and  in  the  absence  of  Joab  and  Abishai,  he  was  hospitably 
entertained  by  David,  and  dismissed  with  many  tokens  of 
good-will. 

When  Joab  returned,  and  discovered  how  Abner  had  been 
treated,  he  became  furious ;  and  after  bitterly  inveighing 
against  the  simplicity  of  David  for  allowing  himself  to  be 
duped  by  so  cunning  a  diplomatist  as  Abner,  he  sent  after 
him,  decoyed  him  back  by  a  false  message,  and  deceitfully 
slew  him,  under  the  pretense  of  desiring  to  have  a  private 
conference  with  him. 


198  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

This  cold-blooded  deed  must  be  branded  with  the  deep- 
est condemnation ;  Joab  violated  what  was  equivalent  to  a 
flag  of  truce  ;  and  though  some  may  remind  us  of  the  old 
law  of  blood-revenge,  and  affirm  that,  under  the  Mosaic  in- 
stitute, Joab,  as  the  next  of  kin  to  Asahel,  had  a  perfect  right 
to  do  as  he  did,  there  are  two  things  which  go  to  bar  this 
plea;  for  Asahel  was  slain  in  battle,  and  Hebron  was  a  city 
of  refuge,  in  which  Abner's  life  ought  to  have  been  respected, 
until  at  least  he  had  been  tried  by  the  elders.  Hence  this 
act  of  Joab  was  not  only  cruelly  treacherous,  but  also  a  fla- 
grant violation  of  the  law  of  God.  David  was  greatly  af- 
flicted by  it,  and  took  every  means,  short  of  putting  Joab  to 
death,  to  show  that  he  had  no  hand  whatever  in  its  insti- 
gation. He  proclaimed  a  public  mourning  for  Abner,  and 
went  himself  to  the  funeral,  making  lamentation  over  him 
with  a  song,  which  has  been  here  preserved,  and  mourning 
yet  more  deeply  for  what  he  calls  his  own  helplessness,  for 
thus  he  speaks :  "  I  am  this  day  weak,  though  anointed  king; 
and  these  men  the  sons  of  Zeruiah  be  too  hard  for  me  :  the 
Lord  shall  reward  the  doer  of  evil  according  to  his  wicked- 
ness." 

But  David  was  weak,  not  so  much  because  Joab  was  strong, 
as  because  he  himself  shrank  from  doing  what  he  knew  to  be 
right  in  the  case.  Had  he  put  Joab  to  death,  public  opinion 
would  have  sustained  him  in  the  execution  of  justice ;  and 
even  if  it  had  not,  he  would  have  had  the  inward  witness 
that  he  was  doing  his  duty  to  the  state.  For  a  magistrate 
to  be  weak,  is  to  be  wicked.  He  is  set  to  administer  and 
execute  the  law  without  fear  or  favor;  and  whensoever  he 
swerves  from  justice  from  either  cause,  he  is  a  traitor  at  once 
to  God  and  to  the  commonwealth.  "  Weak !"  this  is  not  to 
speak  like  a  man,  not  to  say  a  king.  Oh,  what  suffering — 
may  I  not  even  say  what  sin  ? — David  might  have  saved  him- 
self from,  if  he  had  only  thus  early  rid  himself  of  the  tyran- 


HEBRON  AND  JERUSALEM.  199 

nic  and  overbearing  presence  of  Joab !  I  wonder  if  in  after- 
days,  when  his  soul  was  vexed  and  chafed  by  the  conduct 
of  his  unscrupulous  nephew,  David  ever  thought  of  his  sinful 
weakness  in  this  moment  of  emergency.  He  spared  the  ser- 
pent, only  to  be  himself  stung  by  it  at  last. 

Abner's  death  took  away  the  solitary  pillar  on  which  the 
kingdom  of  Ishbosheth  rested;  and  two  of  his  servants, 
thinking  thereby  to  serve  themselves,  slew  him,  and  took  the 
news  to  David,  who  did  with  them  as  before  he  had  done 
with  the  Amalekite  who  professed  to  have  slain  Saul.  And 
now,  every  obstacle  to  his  full  royalty  having  been  removed, 
he  was  waited  upon  by  the  elders  of  Israel,  who  requested 
him  to  become  their  king. 

The  circumstances  connected  with  his  coronation  are  too 
remarkable  to  be  passed  lightly  by.  The  assembly  was 
not  one  of  the  elders  of  Israel  alone,  though  they  appear  to 
have  been  the  spokesmen  on  the  occasion,  but  it  was  virtu- 
ally an  aggregate  gathering  of  the  nation.  The  particular 
numbers  present  from  each  tribe  are  given  in  the  book  of 
Chronicles  (i  Chron.  xii.,  23-40),  from  which  we  learn  that 
Judah,  Simeon,  Levi,  Benjamin,  and  in  fact  all  the  tribes, 
were  present  in  force,  with  the  single  exception  of  Issachar, 
which  sent  only  two  hundred  men  ;  but  they  made  up  in  in- 
fluence for  their  smallness  in  number ;  for  they  are  described 
as  "  men  that  had  understanding  of  the  times,  to  know  what 
Israel  ought  to  do."  The  entire  number  present  was  two 
hundred  and  eighty  thousand  ;  and  it  is  most  important  that 
we  should  observe  the  ground  on  which  they  rest  their  choice 
of  David,  the  ceremony  that  was  observed  in  connection  with 
his  coronation,  and  the  rejoicings  that  were  made  over  it. 
"  Behold,"  they  say,  "  we  are  thy  bone  and  thy  flesh."  He 
was  no  alien  who  had  come  across  some  narrow  ocean  chan- 
nel, or  some  lofty  mountain  chain,  to  conquer  them  for  him- 
self; "Also  in  time  past,  when  Saul  was  king  over  us,  thou 


200  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

wast  he  that  leddest  out  and  broughtest  in  Israel."  They 
had  not  forgotten  the  day  when  he  overthrew  the  giant  in 
the  Valley  of  Elah  j  nor  had  they  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that 
the  only  really  brilliant  portion  of  Saul's  reign  was  that  in 
which  David  was  by  his  side.  They  added, "  and  the  Lord 
said  to  thee, '  thou  shalt  feed  my  people  Israel,  and  thou  shalt 
be  captain  over  Israel.' "  But  why  should  they  thus  refer  to 
God's  choice  of  David  ?  I  answer,  for  two  reasons.  First : 
because,  although  they  had  known  all  along  that  David  had 
been  fore-appointed  to  the  throne,  they  had  yet  been  strug- 
gling against  that  arrangement;  and  so,  it  was  fitting  now 
that  they  should  express  their  repentance,  and  declare  their 
readiness  to  receive  him  in  God's  name,  and  as  from  God's 
hand.  Second :  because  they  wished  to  remind  him  and  them- 
selves that  the  real  king  of  their  nation  was  Jehovah,  and 
that  he  and  they  alike  were  under  allegiance  to  him.  This 
reference  to  the  will  of  the  Lord,  too,  will  enable  us  to  un- 
derstand what  is  meant  when  it  is  said  that  "  King  David 
made  a  league  with  them  in  Hebron,  before  the  Lord."  He 
pledged  himself,  both  to  the  people  and  to  God,  to  rule  in 
accordance  with  the  principles  which  had  already  been  laid 
down  by  Jehovah  for  the  administration  of  the  national  affairs. 
It  is  a  mistake,  therefore,  to  suppose  that  the  Jewish  mon- 
archy was  an  absolute  and  unconstitutional  one.  On  the 
contrary,  there  were  in  it  the  highest  securities — on  the  one 
hand,  for  the  liberties  of  the  people;  and  on  the  other,  for  the 
prerogative  of  the  king.  They  chose  him,  it  is  true,  but  they 
also  pledged  themselves  to  obey  him  so  long  as  he  ruled  in 
accordance  with  the  divine  law.  He  was  their  ruler,  but  his 
authority  was  recognized  only  in  so  far  as  it  was  confirmed 
and  regulated  by  the  divine  statute-book.  Thus  both  he  and 
they  recognized  God  as  the  real  sovereign  of  the  nation  ;  and 
so  long,  at  least,  as  David  sat  on  the  throne,  the  theocracy 
was  a  reality,  and  not  a  mere  name.  In  this,  indeed,  as  we 


HEBRON  AND  JERUSALEM.  201 

have  more  than  once  observed,  we  have  one  great  funda- 
mental difference  between  the  administration  of  Saul  and 
that  of  David.  Saul  accepted  the  monarchy,  designing  to 
make  it  as  absolute  and  autocratic  as  that  of  other  kings ; 
but  David  counted  himself  only  an  under-shepherd,  and  de- 
sired to  regulate  his  conduct  as  a  ruler  by  the  commands  of 
God.  The  perception  of  this  feature  in  his  character  gave 
the  people  great  confidence  in  him,  and  formed,  we  may  be 
sure,  one  reason  for  their  joy  on  this  memorable  occasion  ; 
for,  as  soon  as  the  anointing  was  over,  they  began  a  feast 
which  lasted  for  three  days,  and  which  is  thus  described  by 
the  sacred  historian :  "  There  they  were  with  David  three 
days,  eating  and  drinking :  for  their  brethren  had  prepared 
for  them.  Moreover,  they  that  were  nigh  them,  even  unto 
Issachar  and  Zebulon  and  Naphtali,  brought  bread  on  asses, 
and  on  camels,  and  on  mules,  and  on  oxen,  and  meat,  meal, 
cakes  of  figs,  and  bunches  of  raisins,  and  wine,  and  oil,  and 
oxen,  and  sheep  abundantly :  for  there  was  joy  in  Israel."* 

Nor  are  we  to  suppose  that  this  joy  was  only  a  social 
thing.  It  had  a  religious  element  in  it  also;  and  it  was 
probably  on  this  occasion,  when  Levites  and  priests,  together 
with  the  princes  of  the  tribes,  and  the  men  of  war  from  every 
quarter  were  assembled  once  more  under  one  ruler  in  whom 
they  all  had  confidence,  that  the  Psalmist  composed  and 
sang  that  song  of  degrees  which  is  so  familiar  to  us  all:  "Be- 
hold, how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell 
together  in  unity !  It  is  like  the  precious  ointment  upon  the 
head,  that  ran  down  upon  the  beard,  even  Aaron's  beard : 
that  went  down  to  the  skirts  of  his  garments  ;  as  the  dew  of 
Hermon,  and  as  the  dew  that  descended  upon  the  mountains 
of  Zion  :  for  there  the  Lord  commanded  the  blessing,  even 
life  for  evermore."t 

*  i  Chron.  xii.,  39,  40.  t  Psa.  cxxxiii. 


202  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Thus,  in  the  thirty-eighth  year  of  his  age,  while  he  was  yet 
in  the  prime  and  vigor  of  his  manhood,  and  with  all  the  ex- 
perience which  the  trials  of  his  early  years  had  given  him, 
David  was  seated  upon  the  throne  of  the  united  kingdom  of 
Israel,  amidst  the  rejoicings  of  the  people,  and  with  every 
token  of  the  favor  of  his  God. 

His  first  care  as  a  monarch  was  to  obtain  a  suitable  capi- 
tal ;  and  whether  he  was  directed  by  the  special  guidance 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  whether  he  was  left  solely  to  his  own 
judgment  regarding  it,  we  can  not  but  admire  the  wisdom  of 
the  arrangement  which  he  made,  especially  when  we  contrast 
it  with  the  short-sighted  policy  of  Saul  in  reference  to  the  same 
matter.  The  son  of  Kish  set  up  his  court  in  his  native  town 
of  Gibeah,  a  place  of  no  intrinsic  importance,  and  bearing  re- 
proach among  the  people  as  having  been  the  scene  of  one  of 
the  foulest  outrages  ever  committed  in  the  land.  Moreover, 
it  was  within  the  territory  of  his  own  tribe  of  Benjamin,  and 
his  preference  for  it  was  apt  to  provoke  the  jealousy  of  the 
others.  David,  however,  proceeded  upon  other  and  more 
statesman-like  principles.  He  would  not  continue  in  He- 
bron. No  doubt  that  city  was  equally  sacred  to  all  the  peo- 
ple, from  its  connection  with  their  common  father  Abraham, 
but  it  had  been  recognized  as  the  special  capital  of  Judah; 
and  if  David  had  remained  in  it,  some  overzealous  parti- 
san of  Judah  might  have  said  that  the  other  tribes  had  been 
merely  annexed  to  or  absorbed  in  the  little  kingdom  which 
"for  seven  years  and  a  half  had  its  seat  of  government  there. 
Hence,  just  as  in  our  own  times,  Victor  Emanuel,  when  he 
was  called  to  the  throne  of  a  united  Italy,  removed  his  capi- 
tal first  from  Turin  to  Florence,  and  afterward  from  Florence 
to  Rome,  feeling  that  it  was  due  to  the  other  portions  of  his 
people  that  he  should  be  no  longer  a  mere  Sardinian  or  Tus- 
can prince,  so  David  wisely  considered  that  a  regard  to  the 
feelings  of  the  other  tribes  demanded  that  some  other  city 
than  Hebron  should  be  chosen  as  the  metropolis. 


HEBRON  AND  JERUSALEM.  203 

But  in  determining  what  place  should  be  selected,  many 
difficulties  would  present  themselves.  Bethlehem,  though 
dearer  to  him  than  all  other  cities,  could  not  be  thought  of; 
and  if  he  had  gone  into  the  territory  of  any  other  tribe  than 
his  own,  he  might  have  been  liable  to  the  imputation  of  par- 
tiality, and  might  have  provoked  jealousy  throughout  eleven- 
twelfths  of  his  dominions.  In  these  circumstances,  the  easi- 
est solution  of  the  difficulty  would  be  to  get  hold  of  some 
place  of  requisite  strength  and  importance  not  presently 
identified  with  any  of  the  tribes,  and  in  the  acquirement  of 
which  all  of  them  might  have  a  share.  Such  a  place  was  the 
fortress  of  Zion,  held  by  the  tribe  of  the  Jebusites,  whom,  up  to 
this  time,  no  army  had  been  able  to  dislodge.  Visible  as  it 
was  from  the  heights  of  his  native  Bethlehem,  it  must  have 
been  perfectly  familiar  to  him,  and  perhaps  the  conquest 
of  it  had  been  one  of  the  fondest  aspirations  of  his  youth. 
It  was  situated  at  the  extreme  verge  of  the  territory  of  Ju- 
dah,  where  it  abutted  on  that  of  Benjamin,  and  belonged, 
properly  speaking,  to  neither.  As  we  learn  from  incidental 
notices  in  the  books  of  Joshua  and  Judges,  both  of  these 
tribes  had  attempted  its  conquest  without  success.  The 
men  of  Judah,  baffled  in  their  effort,  had  retired  to  Hebron  ; 
and  the  men  of  Benjamin,  with  all  .their  prowess,  were  able 
to  take  only  the  lower  city,  and,  leaving  the  Jebusites  undis- 
turbed in  their  fortress,  were  compelled  to  settle  down  side 
by  side  with  a  people  whom  they  had  only  partially  over- 
come. 

Here,  therefore,  was  a  place  eligible  in  every  respect  to 
be  his  capital ;  so,  taking  advantage  of  the  enthusiasm  which 
his  coronation  had  evoked,  David  led  his  army  to  Jerusa- 
lem. But  the  Jebusites,  strong  in  the  confidence  which  they 
felt  in  the  natural  impregnability  of  their  position,  laughed 
him  to  scorn,  saying  to  him,  "  Except  thou  take  away  the 
blind  and  the  lame,  thou  shalt  not  come  in  hither."  Dif- 


204  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ferent  explanations  have  been  given  of  these  words.  Kitto 
and  some  others  understand  "  the  blind  and  the  lame  "  to 
mean  idols  of  brass  which  the  Jebusites  brought  forth  and 
put  upon  the  walls,  and  explain  the  taking  away  of  the  blind 
and  lame,  hated  of  David's  soul,  as  the  destruction  of  these 
idols.  This,  however,  seems  to  me  to  be  a  cumbrous  and 
improbable  interpretation,  and  I  much  prefer  that  which  is 
given  by  Keil,  who  translates  the  words  thus:  "Thou  wilt 
not  come  in,  but  the  blind  and  the  lame  will  drive  thee 
away."  The  Jebusites  so  thoroughly  relied  on  the  strength 
of  their  citadel,  surrounded  as  it  was  on  three  sides  by  deep 
ravines,  that  they  mockingly  said  the  blind  and  the  lame 
would  be  a  sufficient  garrison  to  repel  David's  assaults. 

But,  roused  by  their  scorn,  he  gave  forth  his  order  in 
words  which,  though  susceptible  of  different  translations, 
may  be  rendered  thus  :  "  Every  one  who  smites  the  Jebu- 
sites, let  him  hurl  over  the  precipice  both  the  lame  and  the 
blind,  who  are  hateful  to  David's  soul  •"  that  is  to  say,  let 
there  be  no  quarter.  Furthermore,  in  order  to  stimulate  his 
men  to  the  uttermost,  he  offered  the  post  of  commander-in- 
chief  to  the  captain  who  should  first  lead  his  troops  into  the 
citadel.  The  prize  was  won  by  Joab,  somewhat,  we  may  sup- 
pose, to  David's  mortifiqation ;  for  it  is  not  unlikely  that  he 
had  hoped,  by  the  means  which  he  had  taken,  to  promote 
some  less  unscrupulous  man  to  that  honorable  position,  with- 
out seeming  to  insult  his  nephew. 

Out  of  this  siege  there  arose  this  proverb, "  The  blind  and 
the  lame  shall  not  come  into  the  house."  This  expression 
is  generally  taken  to  mean  that  these  classes  were  excluded 
from  the  Temple,  but  for  that  assertion  we  have  no  proof, 
and  it  is  hard  to  see  what  this  proverb  could  have  to  do 
with  the  Temple,  which  was  not  at  that  time  in  existence. 
The  true  explanation  seems  to  be, "  The  blind  and  the  lame 
are  there — let  him  enter  the  place  if  he  can  :"  a  proverb 


HEBRON  AND  JERUSALEM.  205 

which  came  to  be  current  in  regard  to  any  fortress  that  was 
reputed  to  be  impregnable. 

Thus  David  took  the  stronghold  of  Zion,  and  began  forth- 
with to  lay  the  foundations  of  that  city,  whose  history  ever 
since,  so  thrilling  in  its  incidents,  and  so  checkered  in  its  vi- 
cissitudes, is  full  of  deepest  interest  to  every  thoughtful  and 
intelligent  soul.  Beautiful  for  situation,  it  was  to  become 
the  joy  of  the  whole  land  as  the  site  of  the  Temple  which 
"Jehovah  had  chosen  to  place  his  name  there."  Surround- 
ed by  bulwarks,  crowned  with  towers,  it  might  have  seemed 
secure  from  all  attack;  yet  Babylonians,  Asmoneans,  Ro- 
mans, Saracens,  Crusaders,  Turks,  all  have  in  turn  besieged 
it.  Still,  these  dreadful  sieges  give  it  not  its  chief  renown. 
As  we  pronounce  its  name,  we  almost  forget  all  other  things 
connected  with  it,  while  we  remember  that  He  walked  its 
streets  who  came  to  earth  for  us  men  and  for  our  salvation ; 
that  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  its  walls  he  endured 
the  terrible  agony  of  Gethsemane  •  and  that  within  sight  of  its 
gates  he  poured  out  his  soul  unto  death,  when  he  made  his 
soul  an  offering  for  sin.  To  this  city  the  heart  of  the  Jew 
in  every  land  yet  fondly  turns :  and  its  name,  recalling  to 
the  Christian  the  memory  of  his  Lord,  is  at  the  same  time 
associated  with  his  hope  of  heaven — that  grand  mother-city 
of  the  children  of  God — the  New  Jerusalem. 

But  I  must  not  dwell  on  such  alluring  themes.  Only  as 
we  stand  here  and  see  how  first  the  fortress  of  Zion  was 
taken  by  the  prowess  of  David's  troops,  we  may  have  some 
idea  of  the  statesmanship  of  the  man  who  out  of  all  other 
sites  chose  this,  so  formidable  in  its  strength,  so  stately  in 
its  situation,  and  so  beautiful  in  its  surroundings,  for  the  cap- 
ital of  his  realm.  The  instinct  of  the  warrior,  the  sagacity 
of  the  ruler,  and  the  genius  of  the  poet,  are  all  apparent  in 
his  selection  of  this  compact  yet  strong  and  queenly  site  for 
the  metropolis  of  the  land. 


2o6  DAVID,  KUSTG  OF  ISRAEL. 

And  now,  gathering  up  the  lessons  of  this  evening's  lecture, 
let  us  note  how,  when  God  has  some  great  work  for  a  man 
to  do,  he  prepares  him  for  it,  by  the  discipline  of  his  provi- 
dence. Not  all  at  once  did  David  pass  from  the  shepherd 
life  of  Bethlehem  to  the  throne  of  Jerusalem.  There  was  a 
long,  and  weary,  and  trying  road  to  be  traversed  by  him  af- 
ter his  anointing  by  Samuel,  before  he  reached  the  lofty  ele- 
vation for  which  he  was  designated  and  consecrated  by  the 
prophet's  oil.  He  was  not  cradled  in  luxury,  nor  dandled 
in  affluence,  but  his  character  was  hardened  by  trial,  and  his 
judgment  was  matured  by  frequently  recurring  emergency. 
From  the  very  first,  indeed,  he  was  "  prudent  in  matters," 
but  such  a  history  as  his  could  not  but  stimulate  and  sharp- 
en his  natural  abilities.  His  military  genius,  which  was  des- 
tined yet  to  show  itself  on  many  a  glorious  field  as  he  ex- 
tended his  dominion  "  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  to 
the  ends  of  the  land,"  had  been  quickened  and  developed  by 
his  experiences  in  the  long  war  with  the  house  of  Saul ;  and 
his  knowledge  of  human  nature,  an  acquirement  so  needful 
for  one  who  was  to  be  a  ruler  of  men,  had  been  increased  by 
his  dealing  with  his  followers  in  the  hold,  and  with  his  ene- 
mies in  diplomacy ;  while,  best  of  all,  his  confidence  in  God 
had  been  strengthened  by  his  manifold  trials,  in  and  through 
which  he  had  been  sustained  by  the  divine  grace,  and  out  of 
which  he  had  been  delivered  by  the  divine  hand. 

All  these  things,  though  perhaps  he  knew  not  of  it  at  the 
time,  were  disciplining  him  for  the  work  which  he  was  after- 
ward to  accomplish,  while  his  lesser  reign  at  Hebron  gave 
him  an  opportunity  for  forming  within  him  those  lofty  pur- 
poses which  he  sought  in  later  days  to  carry  out.  His  early 
difficulties  stimulated  his  inventiveness  and  strengthened 
his  resolutions.  -And  his  after-reign  was  only  the  more  glo- 
rious because  of  the  hardness  which,  in  his  younger  days,  he 
had  to  endure. 


HEBRON  AND  JERUSALEM.  207 

But  it  is  not  different  yet.  Success  is  not  usually  a  sud- 
den thing,  or,  if  it  be  so,  it  is  not  a  wholesome  thing.  Gen- 
erally speaking,  it  is  a  matter  of  time,  and  trial,  and  dili- 
gence, and  study.  The  heat  of  the  conservatory,  which 
brings  the  flower  rapidly  to  maturity,  does  also  nurse  it  into 
weakness,  so  that  its  beauty  is  only  short-lived;  but  the 
plant  that  grows  in  the  open  air  is  strengthened  while  it 
grows,  and  is  able  to  withstand  even  the  biting  winter's  cold. 
Resistance  is  necessary  to  the  development  of  power  ;  and 
the  greatest  misfortune  that  can  befall  a  youth  is  to  have  no 
difficulties  whatever  with  which  to  contend.  It  is  by  over- 
mastering obstacles  that  a  man's  character  is  mainly  made. 
Hence,  let  no  one  be  discouraged  who  is  called  in  early  life 
to  struggle  with  adversity.  He  is  thereby  only  making  him- 
self for  his  future  life-work.  I  am  confident  that  there  is  no 
one  here  who  has  arrived  at  middle  age,  who  does  not  now 
recognize  that,  though  he  knew  not  of  it  at  the  time,  he  was, 
under  Providence,  preparing  himself  by  his  early  wrestlings 
with  difficulty,  and,  most  of  all,  when  the  difficulty  was  the 
greatest,  for  the  particular  position  which  he  is  now  occupy- 
ing. Not  in  a  day,  nor  in  a  year,  nor  in  many  years,  do  we 
reach  the  throne  of  our  individual  power,  the  sphere  of  our 
personal  and  peculiar  labor.  We  graduate  up  to  it  through 
trial,  and  each  new  difficulty  surmounted  is  not  only  a  new 
step  in  the  ladder  upward,  but  also  a  new  qualification  for 
the  work  that  is  before  us.  Courage,  then,  my  young  broth- 
er ;  though  every  thing  may  seem  to  be  against  you,  hold 
on  ;  for  if  you  be  only  sure  that  God  is  for  you  (and  he  will 
be  for  you  if  you  will  be  for  him),  you  will  at  length  attain  to 
the  throne  for  which  he  has  designed  you,  and  the  crown  for 
which  he  has  anointed  you.  His  plan  of  your  life  will  not 
fail,  and  when  you  see  it  all  you  will  recognize  its  wisdom. 

Nor  does  this  principle  hold  merely  of  the  early  part  of 
our  earthly  life  as  related  to  the  later.  It  will  be  illustrated 


208  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

also  in  our  earthly  life  as  connected  with  a  heavenly.  If  we 
be  Christ's,  it  is  .no  doubt  true  that  he  is  preparing  a  place 
for  each  of  us  ;  but  it  is  just  as  true  that,  through  the  disci- 
pline of  our  daily  difficulties,  he  is  preparing  each  of  us  for 
his  own  particular  place,  and  the  characters  which  we  are 
forming  here  will  find  their  appropriate  employment  and  de- 
velopment in  the  work  which  in  heaven  will  be  assigned  to 
us.  This  at  once  explains  our  frequent  trials,  and  gives  us 
strength  to  undergo  them ;  and  just  as  through  his  wander- 
ings and  warfares,  his  Adullam  experiences  and  his  Hebron 
monarchy,  David  was  fitted  for  his  Jerusalem  reign;  so,  by  our 
cares  and  losses,  our  disappointments  and  our  sorrows,  our 
hopes  deferred  and  our  labors  abundant,  we  shall  each  be 
fitted  for  his  own  peculiar  post  in  the  New  Jerusalem  above. 
Thus,  by  the  leverage  of  this  principle  we  lift  our  earthly 
lives  up  to  the  very  level  of  heaven  itself;  and  every  expe- 
rience through  which  we  are  passing  now,  becomes  a  prep- 
aration for  our  eternal  royalty  at  Christ's  right  hand. 

But  let  us  note,  finally,  the  similarity,  and  yet  the  dissim- 
ilarity, of  the  kingdom  of  David  to  that  of  Christ.  It  was  in 
connection  with  David's  position  that  the  Messiah  was  first 
spoken  of  in  prophecy  as  a  king.  David's  power,  small  in 
its  beginnings,  waxed  greater  and  greater,  until  it  became 
supreme,  and  united  all  the  tribes  under  its  benignant  pro- 
tection. So  it  has  been  with  that  of  Christ.  The  outlaw  in 
the  cave  of  Adullam  was  not  so  contemptible  in  the  eyes 
of  his  fellow-countryman  as  He  was  who  was  "  despised  and 
rejected  of  men  ;"  and  the  followers  of  David,  consisting  as 
they  did  of  those  who  were  in  debt,  and  those  who  were  dis- 
contented, and  those  who  were  in  distress,  were  not  so  un- 
likely to  overcome  their  enemies,  and  lead  their  master  to 
his  throne,  as  the  fishermen  of  Galilee  were  to  gain  the 
world's  ear,  and  advance  the  cause  of  their  ascended  Lord. 
Yet,  as  the  house  of  David  waxed  stronger  and  stronger., 


HEBRON  AND  JERUSALEM.  209 

while  the  house  of  Saul  waxed  weaker  and  weaker,  so  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  has  still  gone  on  advancing,  in  the  face 
of  every  resistance,  while  that  of  Satan  has  continually  re- 
ceded before  it.  We  may  not  think  so  as  we  compare  the 
condition  of  both  from  day  to  day.  Yet  if  we  will  but  widen 
our  investigation,  and  compare  century  with  century,  we  shall 
see  all  along  these  nineteen  cycles  a  clear  and  steady  prog- 
ress, indicating  final  triumph. 

In  one  thing,  however,  the  parallel  fails.  David's  advance 
was  made  with  the  sword,  that  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is 
made  with  the  power  of  love  and  truth.  He  is  the  Prince 
of  Peace,  and  his  victories  are  gained  over  the  errors,  the 
prejudices,  the  selfishness,  and  the  sins  of  men.  Bloodless 
in  their  character,  they  are  beneficent  in  their  results ;  and 
as  he  advances  to  his  final  conquest,  his  course  will  be  mark- 
ed with  blessings,  and  his  progress  will  be  attended  with  re- 
joicing. Not  yet,  indeed,  do  we  behold  the  nations  of  the 
world  united  in  the  acknowledgment  of  his  allegiance,  and 
ready  for  his  coronation.  But  the  day  is  coming  when  he 
shall  reign  in  every  heart,  and  over  every  land— a  day  that 
shall  bring  greater  joy  to  the  world  than  Hebron  saw  when, 
the  miseries  of  intestine  war  having  been  removed,  David 
was  anointed  over  Israel.  "  Thy  kingdom  come,"  O  Christ ! 
"  Come  forth  out  of  thy  royal  chamber,  thou  prince  of  all  the 
kings  of  the  earth."  Draw  the  hearts  of  men  everywhere  to 
thyself  by  the  attraction  of  thy  love.  Come,  and  bring  with 
thee  the  Sabbath  of  the  world.  Come,  and  let  thy  corona- 
tion-day be  ushered  in  with  the  song  of  myriad  voices — 

"  Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem 
And  crown  him  Lord  of  all." 


XII. 

THE  BRINGING    UP  OF  THE  ARK. 

2  SAMUEL  v.,  ii-vi.,  23  ;  i  CHRONICLES  xiii.,  i-xvi.,  23. 

AFTER  David  had  established  himself  in  Jerusalem,  two 
things  were  needed  to  make  it  the  capital  of  the  na- 
tion. These  were,  that  it  should  possess  a  palace  for  him- 
self; and  that  it  should  be  the  abode  of  the  ark  of  the  cove- 
nant, over  which  hovered  continually  the  visible  symbol  of 
Jehovah's  presence.  As  I  have  repeatedly  remarked,  the 
distinguishing  peculiarity  of  David  as  a  king  was  that  he  rec- 
ognized in  the  most  loyal  manner  the  higher  royalty  of  God, 
and  regarded  himself  as  a  mere  human  vice-regent.  Had 
he  been  content  to  build  only  an  official  residence  for  him- 
self, Jerusalem  would  have  been  no  more  than  the  city  of 
David;  but  in  a  theocracy  it  was  necessary  also  that  the 
metropolis  should  be  the  city  of  God ;  and  so,  in  that  spirit 
of  patriotic  piety  for  which  he  was  so  remarkable,  David  set 
himself  at  once  as  earnestly  to  prepare  a  place  for  the  re- 
ception of  the  ark,  as  to  erect  a  habitation  for  himself.  En- 
tering into  a  league  with  Hiram,  king  of  Tyre,  he  caused  to 
be  built  for  himself  a  splendid  cedar  palace,  with  the  ques- 
tionable addition  of  a  harem.  Yet  amidst  all  this  magnifi- 
cence he  did  not  forget  to  acknowledge  the  goodness  of  Him 
from  whom  all  his  greatness  came,  for  it  was  most  probably 
in  connection  with  his  taking  possession  of  his  palace  that 
he  wrote  and  sang  the  3Oth  Psalm,  which  bears  the  follow- 
ing title :  "A  Psalm  and  Song  at  the  dedication  of  the  house 
of  David."  If  in  minor  things  a  man's  true  self  comes  most 
clearly  out,  then  in  this  domestic  ode  we  may  see  something 


THE  BRINGING  UP  OF  THE  ARK.  211 

of  what  David  was  at  home,  and  may  learn  how  in  every  thing 
he  acknowledged  God.  After  having  gone  over  his  new 
abode,  accompanied,  as  we  may  suppose,  by  all  the  members 
of  his  household,  he  gathered  them  together  in  some  conven- 
ient chamber,  or  in  the  open  court  round  which  his  palace 
was  built,  and  sang  with  them  this  Psalm,  in  which  we  know 
not  whether  to  admire  more  the  pathetic  allusions  to  the 
sufferings  of  the  past,  or  the  holy  resolutions  in  regard  to 
the  conduct  of  the  future  :  "  I  will  extol  thee,  O  Lord ;  for 
"thou  hast  lifted  me  up,  and  hast  not  made  my  foes  to  rejoice 
over  me.  O  Lord  my  God,  I  cried  unto  thee,  and  thou  hast 
healed  me.  O  Lord,  thou  hast  brought  up  my  soul  from  the 
grave :  thou  hast  kept  me  alive,  that  I  should  not  go  down 
to  the  pit.  Sing  unto  the  Lord,  O  ye  saints  of  his,  and  give 
thanks  at  the  remembrance  of  his  holiness.  For  his  anger 
enclureth  but  a  moment ;  in  his  favor  is  life  :  weeping  may 
endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morning.  And  in 
my  prosperity  I  said,  I  shall  never  be  moved.  Lord,  by  thy 
favor  thou  hast  made  my  mountain  to  stand  strong :  thou 
didst  hide  thy  face,  and  I  was  troubled.  I  cried  to  thee,  O 
Lord  ;  and  unto  the  Lord  I  made  supplication.  What  profit 
is  there  in  my  blood,  when  I  go  down  to  the  pit?  Shall  the 
dust  praise  thee  ?  shall  it  declare  thy  truth  ?  Hear,  O  Lord, 
and  have  mercy  upon  me  :  Lord,  be  thou  my  helper.  Thou 
hast  turned  for  me  my  mourning  into  dancing  :  thou  hast  put 
off  my  sackcloth,  and  girded  me  with  gladness ;  to  the  end 
that  my  glory  may  sing  praise  to  thee,  and  not  be  silent.  O 
Lord  my  God,  I  will  give  thanks  unto  thee  forever." 

If  we  contrast  the  spirit  which  breathes  through  these 
lines  with  that  which  animated  Nebuchadnezzar,  when  he 
said,  "  Is  not  this  great  Babylon  that  I  have  built  for  the 
house  of  the  kingdom,  by  the  might  of  my  power  and  for  the 
honor  of  my  majesty  ?"  we  shall  see  more  clearly  into  the 
piety  of  David's  heart,  while  at  the  same  time  we  may  all 


212  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

learn  how  our  joy  and  prosperity  may  be  consecrated  and 
turned  into  a  means  of  hbnoring  Jehovah.  Elegant  man- 
sions, costly  furniture,  art  treasures,  and  extensive  posses- 
sions will  do  no  harm  to  those  who,  as  they  survey  them  all, 
can  turn  to  God,  and  say,  "  Thou  hast  girded  us  with  glad- 
ness, to  the  end  that  our  glory  may  sing  praise  to  thee  and 
not  be  silent.  O  Lord  our  God,  we  will  give  thanks  unto 
thee  forever."  But  if  these  earthly  glories  turn  our  heads, 
and  puff  us  up  with  stupid  self-conceit,  or  lead  us  to  boast  of 
ourselves  and  to  despise  others,  then  we  have  built  our  house 
upon  the  edge  of  a  volcano,  whose  first  eruption  may  send  us 
to  a  degradation  deeper  than  that  of  him  who  wandered  forth 
among  the  oxen,  and  ate  the  grass  of  the  fields. 

Before  David  could  turn  his  attention  to  the  removal  of 
the  ark,  however,  he  had  to  encounter  and  overcome  the 
Philistines.  That  warlike  people  could  not  regard  his  es- 
tablishment on  the  throne  of  Israel  and  his  occupation  of 
Jerusalem  with  indifference.  So  long  as  he  held  his  court 
at  Hebron,  he  was  too  insignificant  to  be  attacked  by  them  ; 
but  now  that  he  had  humiliated  the  Jebusites,  and  settled 
himself  in  their  reputedly  impregnable  fortress,  they  felt  it 
needful,  for  the  maintenance  of  their  national  supremacy,  to 
take  the  field  against  him,  with  all  the  forces  at  their  com- 
mand. Their  chosen  battle-field  on  this  occasion  was  the 
Valley  of  Rephaim,  or  "the  giants," a  broad  and  fertile  plain 
about  a  mile  in  length,  which  was  the  southern  entrance  into 
Jerusalem,  and  which  extended  northward,  terminating  in  a 
narrow  ridge  of  rocks,  which  breaks  abruptly  into  the  ravine 
of  Hinnom.  After  inquiring  at  the  sacred  oracle  what  he 
should  do,  David  led  his  troops  into  "  the  hold ;"  that  is,  ei- 
ther into  the  region  of  his  sojourning  during  his  war  with 
Saul,  or  into  some  other  place  of  great  natural  strength,  from 
which  he  could  repel  the  invaders.  Here  he  had  a  signal 
victory  over  the  enemy,  whom  he  drove  before  him  as  with 


THE  BRINGING  UP  OF  THE  ARK.  213 

the  irresistible  might  of  an  overflowing  flood.  But  he  took 
no  credit  to  himself  for  his  success,  for,  in  a  spirit  of  grati- 
tude and  humility,  he  commemorated  the  victory  by  calling 
the  name  of  the  place  Baal-perazim ;  saying  also,  "  God  hath 
broken  in  upon  mine  enemies  by  mine  hand  like  the  break- 
ing forth  of  waters."  In  this  engagement,  probably  with 
the  view  of  stimulating  the  courage  and  inspiring  the  confi- 
dence of  their  troops,  the  Philistine  leaders  had  brought  their 
idols  into  the  field ;  but  David,  having  taken  them  with  the 
other  booty,  caused  them  to  be  burned — a  proof,  on  the  one 
hand,  of  his  pious  determination  to  acknowledge  Jehovah 
alone  as  divine,  and  a  manifestation,  on  the  other,  of  the 
helplessness  of  the  heathen  divinities,  who  could  not  deliver 
themselves,  much  less  those  who  trusted  in  them,  from  the 
conqueror's  hands. 

In  spite,  however,  of  this  defeat,  both  of  their  gods  and  of 
themselves,  the  Philistines,  some  months  afterward,  renewed 
the  contest  Again  they  encamped  in  Rephaim  ;  again  Da- 
vid inquired  of  the  Lord,  and  was  directed  to  take  such  meas- 
ures as  resulted  in  their  complete  disorganization.  He  was 
commanded  to  come  upon  them  from  the  rear  by  making  a 
circuitous  march,  and  was  cautioned  to  take  his  stand  at  a 
certain  spot  until,  by  "  the  sound  of  going  in  the  tops  of 
the  mulberry-trees,"  the  signal  should  be  given  to  advance. 
All  this  being  carefully  observed  by  him,  his  sudden  appear- 
ance created  such  a  panic  in  the  Philistian  host  that  they 
arose  and  fled,  and  were  smitten  by  their  pursuers  all  the 
way  from  Seba  until  the  entrance  into  their  own  city  of 
Gaza. 

We  can  not  but  be  struck,  in  this  narrative,  with  the  hum- 
ble piety  of  David  in  asking  guidance  from  the  Lord,  and 
with  his  willingness  implicitly  to  obey  the  commands  which 
he  received.  Nor  can  we  fail  to  observe  the  clear  and  ex- 
plicit nature  of  the  answers  which  he  received  from  the  Urim 


214  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

and  Thummim.  The  ancient  heathens  had  their  oracles  in 
connection  with  the  temples  in  which  they  worshiped  their 
divinities ;  but  the  responses  given  at  these  places  to  those 
who  consulted  them  were  generally  expressed  so  ambiguous- 
ly that  no  great  guidance  was  given  by  them,  and  they  could 
not  be  falsified  by  any  event.  Thus  it  is  on  record  that 
when  Crcesus  inquired  of  Apollo  what  would  be  the  result  of 
his  attacking  the  Persians,  the  answer  was  that,  by  doing  so, 
"  he  should  overthrow  a  great  army  " — a  reply  which  -would 
have  been  appropriate  either  to  the  destruction  of  the  Per- 
sian army,  or,  as  in  the  event  it  happened  to  be,  to  that  of  his 
own.  When  again  Pyrrhus,  the  king  of  Epirus,  asked  what 
was  to  be  the  issue  of  his  war  with  the  Romans,  the  response 
was  given  in  words  which  might  mean  either,  "  I  say  that 
thou,  the  son  of  Eacus,  art  able  to  conquer  the  Romans,"  or 
"  I  say  that  the  Romans  are  able  to  conquer  thee,  the  son  of 
Eacus."  But  here,  in  the  replies  given  by  the  sacred  breast- 
plate, there  is  no  obscurity.  Every  thing  is  definite  and  clear, 
and  David  could  have  no  hesitation  as  to  his  duty  in  each 
case.  Of  course,  there  is  not  now  any  such  means  of  obtain- 
ing the  unerring  guidance  of  God  as  David  then  enjoyed,  in 
so  far  as  the  contingencies  of  our  daily  lives  are  concerned ; 
but  still,  in  answer  to  prayer,  God  will  lead  us  in  the  right 
way,  provided  only  we  unfeignedly  commit  ourselves  to  him, 
and  willingly  accept  his  direction  step  'by  step.  Here  is  the 
warrant  on  which  every  one  of  us  is  entitled  to  proceed :  "If 
any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all 
men  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not,  and  it  shall  be  given  him." 
Let  us,  therefore,  use  the  Bible  and  the  throne  of  grace  as 
David  employed  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  and  we  may  de- 
pend upon  it  that,  even  as  "  the  sound  of  a  going  in  the  tops 
of  the  mulberry-trees  "  indicated  to  him  when  he  was  to  ad- 
vance, there  will  be  something,  either  within  ourselves,  or  in 
the  arrangement  of  God's  providence  external  to  us,  which 


THE  BRINGING  UP  OF  THE  ARK.  215 

shall  point  out  to  us  what  course  we  are  to  follow,  and  when 
we  are  to  enter  upon  it. 

And  now,  having  overcome  his  enemies  for  the  time,  David 
had  leisure  to  devote  to  the  bringing  up  of  the  ark  of  the  cov- 
enant. That,  as  every  one  knows,  was  the  sacred  chest,  over- 
shadowed by  the  golden  cherubim,  which  usually  stood  in  the 
Holy  of  Holies  of  the  Tabernacle,  and  which  contained  in  it 
a  copy  of  the  law  of  Moses ;  the  golden  pot  of  manna,  which 
was  preserved  as  a  memorial  of  the  wilderness  •  and  the  rod 
of  Aaron,  which  blossomed,  and  which  was  kept  as  a  proof 
of  the  divine  appointment  of  Aaron  and  his  sons  to  the 
priestly  office.  The  lid  of  this  chest  was  the  mercy-seat,  and 
was  year  by  year  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  atonement, 
when  on  the  great  Day  of  Atonement  the  high-priest  went 
in  before  the  Lord.  Its  proper  place  was  in  the  innermost 
chamber  of  the  Tabernacle ;  but  at  this  period  of  the  histo- 
ry of  Israel,  religious  matters  were  in  the  greatest  confusion, 
arising  out  of  the  folly  of  which,  many  years  before,  the  elders 
of  the  people  had  been  guilty,*  when  they  carried  the  ark 
with  them  to  the  field  of  battle*  They  trusted  in  the  sym- 
bol, rather  than  in  Jehovah,  whose  the  symbol  was,  and  as  a 
consequence  they  were  defeated,  and  the  ark  was  taken  by 
the  Philistines,  who  put  it  into  the  Temple  of  Dagon  ;  thence, 
however,  owing  to  the  fall  of  the  image  of  their  idol  before  it, 
they  had  it  speedily  removed ;  but  wherever  they  took  it,  trou- 
bles and  diseases  broke  out,  which  they  traced  to  its  presence, 
and  so  they  sent  it  back  to  Israel  in  a  singular  manner,  of 
which  a  full  account  is  given  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  i  Samuel. 
It  was  ultimately  received  by  the  men  of  Kirjath-jearim,  a 
city  on  the  boundary  line  between  the  territories  of  Judah 
and  Benjamin ;  and  Eleazar,  the  son  of  Abinadab,  was  set 
apart  for  the  purpose  of  attending  to  it  there.  In  that  city, 

*  I  Sam.  iv.,  3. 


2i6  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

therefore,  all  these  years  during  the  ministry  of  Samuel,  and 
the  reigns  of  Saul  and  Ishbosheth,  the  ark  had  remained  ; 
while  the  Tabernacle  continued  at  Shiloh,  or  perhaps,  for  a 
portion  of  the  time,  at  Nob.  But  this  was  not  all ;  for  while 
the  Tabernacle  was  in  one  city,  and  the  ark  in  another,  there 
were  also  two  high-priests — Zadok  at  Shiloh,  who  was  of  the 
elder  line  of  the  sons  of  Aaron,  which  had  hitherto  adhered  to 
the  house  of  Saul;  and  Abiathar,-the  sole  survivor  of  the  Nob 
massacre,  who  had  fled  to  David  with  the  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim  when  he  was  in  the  cave.  Now,  in  seeking  to  bring  or- 
der out  of  all  this  confusion,  David,  acting  perhaps  under  the 
divine  direction,  left  the  Tabernacle  untouched,  but  wished  to 
bring  the  ark  to  Jerusalem,  where  he  had  prepared  a  tem- 
porary tent  (probably  after  the  pattern  of  the  original  one), 
in  which  it  might  remain  until  the  cherished  purpose  of  his 
heart  should  be  accomplished,  and  a  permanent  temple  erect- 
ed for  its  abode.  Furthermore,  he  retained  the  two  high- 
priests  as  of  co-ordinate  dignity,  thereby  binding  both  of 
them  to  himself  without  exciting  the  jealousy  of  either. 

When  he  had  determined  to  bring  up  the  ark,  he  gathered 
together  thirty  thousand  chosen  men,  and  went  in  state  to 
the  ancient  city  in  which  it  had  so  long  been  kept ;  but  a 
sad  and  awful  occurrence  struck  terror  into  all  their  hearts, 
and  led  to  the  postponement  of  the  formal  entrance  of  the 
sacred  symbol  into  Jerusalem.  Ignoring  the  command  that 
the  sacred  chest  should  be  borne  only  on  the  shoulders  of 
the  priests,  the  two  sons  of  Abinadab  put  it  on  a  new  cart, 
and  when  they  came  to  a  place  which  was  known  as  the 
threshing-floor  of  Nachon,  as  the  cart  shook  violently,  Uzzah, 
one  of  the  sons  of  Abinadab,  put  forth  his  hand  upon  the 
ark  to  steady  it,  and  was  at  once  struck  dead.  Whether  this 
was  caused  by  the  immediate  outflashing  of  the  divine  pow- 
er, or,  as  some  believe,  by  a  bolt  of  lightning  in  the  midst  of 
a  thunder-storm  which  they  suppose  was  raging  at  the  time, 


THE  BRINGING  UP  OF  THE  ARK.  217 

the  event  was  by  them  all  connected  with  the  touching  of 
the  ark  by  Uzzah,  and  they  were  filled  with  dismay.  Harps, 
cornets,  cymbals,  psalteries,  and  timbrels  were  silenced,  and 
David,  in  sore  distress  at  what  had  taken  place,  caused  them 
to  carry  the  sacred  thing  into  the  house  of  Obed-edom  the 
Gittite,  which  happened  to  be  at  hand  ;  while,  in  memory  of 
the  stroke  with  which  they  had  been  visited,  he  named  the 
place  Perez-uzzah,  "  the  Breach  of  Uzzah." 

Leaving  for  the  present  out  of  view  the  purpose  that  was 
to  be  subserved  by  this  judgment,  we  may  note  the  different 
degrees  of  punishment  by  which  in  different  cases  the  profa- 
nation of  the  ark  was  visited.  The  Philistines,  whose  sin 
was  ignorance,  were  smitten  only  with  disease;  the  men.  of 
Beth-shemesh  who  looked  into  the  ark,  Levites  though  they 
were,  were  smitten  with  death,  because  they  ought  to  have 
known  the  law  of  God  upon  the  matter;  and  now  again 
Uzzah  is  stricken  down,  because  ignorance,  where  knowledge 
ought  to  have  been  possessed,  is  no  extenuation  of  guilt. 

But  though  thus  sadly  interrupted  in  the  carrying  out  of 
his  purpose,  David  would  not  give  it  up  ;  for  learning,  three 
months  afterward,  that  God  had  greatly  blessed,  in  some  vis- 
ible manner,  the  household  of  Obed-edom,  in  whose  dwelling 
the  ark  was  placed,  he  set  out  again  to  bring  it  to  Jerusalem. 
But  this  time,  the  book  of  the  law  having  doubtless  been 
most  carefully  searched  for  directions,  every  thing  was  done 
decently  and  in  order.  It  was  a  great  and  memorable  day 
in  Israel ;  and  as  David  had  composed  many  special  odes 
for  the  occasion,  we  may  perhaps  give  you  the  most  vivid 
idea  of  the  whole  proceedings,  by  making  our  narrative  lit- 
tle more  than  a  statement  of  the  particular  order  in  which 
we  suppose  that  these  hymns  were  sung. 

Let  it  be  premised,  however,  that  on  this  day,  as  on  all  the 
high  festival  occasions  afterward,  both  in  the  Tabernacle  and 
the  Temple,  the  service  of  song  was  conducted  solely  by  the 

10 


2i8  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Levites.  They  were  the  holy  tribe ;  and  just  as  the  high- 
priest  offered  in  the  room  of  the  people  the  sacrifices  of 
burnt-offering  and  atonement,  so  the  Levites  offered  in  the 
stead  of  the  tribes  the  sacrifice  of  praise.  We  do  not,  in- 
deed, hear  any  thing  of  music  as  a  portion  of  the  worship  of 
Jehovah  until  the  times  of  David ;  but  "  it  is  not  improba- 
ble that  the  Levites  all  along  had  practiced  music,  and  that 
some  musical  service  was  part  of  the  worship  of  the  Taberna- 
cle ;  for,  unless  this  supposition  be  made,  it  is  inconceivable 
that  a  body  of  trained  singers  and  musicians  should  be  found 
ready  for  an  occasion  like  that  on  which  they  made  their  first 
appearance."*  No  doubt,  at  the  school  of  the  prophets  at 
Ramah,  music  formed  part  of  the  regular  exercises  of  the 
students ;  and  David's  own  skill  and  taste  in  this  exquisite 
art  must  have  enabled  him  to  make  perfect  arrangements 
for  this  great  festival,  even  as  they  enabled  him  afterward  to 
make  permanent  regulations  for  the  conduct  of  "  the  service 
of  song  in  the  house  of  the  Lord." 

From  the  narrative  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  the  First 
Book  of  Chronicles,  we  learn  that,  in  addition  to  the  elders 
of  Israel  (each  of  whom,  as  on  the  day  of  the  coronation, 
would  be  accompanied  by  a  delegation  from  his  tribe),  and 
the  captains  over  thousands,  there  were  present  nine  hun- 
dred and  sixty -two  priests  and  Levites.  From  these  last 
would  be  taken  a  sufficient  number  to  relieve  each  other  in 
carrying,  by  turns,  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  and  then  the  rest 
would  be  told  off  for  the  musical  service.  The  singing  was 
accompanied  by  the  sound  of  instruments,  the  performers 
on  which  were  placed  under  the  direction  of  skilled  leaders. 
Thus  Heman,  Asaph,  and  Ethan  were  appointed  to  conduct 
the  cymbals  of  brass ;  Zechariah,  and  Aziel,  and  Shemira- 
moth,  and  Jehiel,  and  Unni,  and  Eliab,  and  Maaseiah,  and 

*  Smith's  "  Dictionary,"  article  Music. 


THE  BRINGING  UP  OF  THE  ARK.  219 

Benaiah  were  set  over  those  who  played  on  psalteries  on 
Alamoth,  that  is,  on  the  higher  notes ;  Mattithiah,  and  Eliph- 
eleh,  and  Mikneiah,  and  Obed-edom,  and  Jeiel,  and  Azaziah 
were  put  over  those  who  sounded  the  harps  on  the  Shemi- 
nith,  that  is,  on  the  eighth,  which,  I  suppose,  may  mean  the 
lower  octave ;  while  others  were  to  blow  with  the  trumpets 
before  the  ark.  It  was  thus  a  great  processional  oratorio, 
the  route  being  somewhat  less  than  nine  miles  in  length,  for 
that  was  the  distance  between  Kirjath-jearim  and  Jerusa- 
lem. When  the  company  had  been  marshaled,  and  were 
starting  from  Jerusalem,  I  conjecture  that,  with  the  judgment 
that  fell  on  Uzzah  still  in  the  minds  of  all,  the  Levites  broke 
forth,  in  solemn  tones,  with  the  beautiful  i5th  Psalm:  "Lord, 
who  shall  abide  in  thy  tabernacle?  who  shall  dwell  in  thy 
holy  hill?  He  that  walketh  uprightly,  and  worketh  right- 
eousness, and  speaketh  the  truth  in  his  heart.  He  that 
backbiteth  not  with  his  tongue,  nor  doeth  evil  to  his  neigh- 
bor, nor  taketh  up  a  reproach  against  his  neighbor.  In 
whose  eyes  a  vile  person  is  contemned  :  but  he  honoreth 
them  that  fear  the  Lord.  He  that  sweareth  to  his  own  hurt, 
and  changeth  not.  He  that  putteth  not  out  his  money  to 
usury,  nor  taketh  reward  against  the  innocent.  He  that  do- 
eth these  things  shall  never  be  moved."  When  they  came 
to  the  house  of  Obed-edom,  and  while  arrangements  were 
being  made  for  the  removal  from  it  of  the  ark,  they  sang  the 
opening  verses  of  the  i32d  Psalm,  as  if  to  deprecate  a  repe- 
tition of  the  calamity  which  had  formerly  saddened  all  their 
hearts  :  "  Lord,  remember  David,  and  all  his  afflictions  :  how 
he  sware  unto  the  Lord,  and  vowed  unto  the  mighty  God  of 
Jacob ;  surely  I  will  not  come  into  the  tabernacle  of  my 
house,  nor  go  up  into  my  bed  ;  I  will  not  give  sleep  to  mine 
eyes,  or  slumber  to  mine  eyelids,  until  I  find  out  a  place  for 
the  Lord,  a  habitation  for  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob.  Lo, 
we  heard  of  it  at  Ephratah ;  we  found  it  in  the  fields  of  the 


220  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

wood,"  /.  e.,  at  Kirjath-jearim.  Then,  as  the  priests  appoint- 
ed for  the  purpose  went  into  the  house  for  the  ark,  they  sang 
by  themselves  these  words:  "We  will  go  into  his  taberna- 
cles :  we  will  worship  at  his  footstool."  As  they  emerged, 
bearing  the  sacred  burden  on  their  shoulders,  and  while  they 
took  the  first  six  paces  in  their  march,  their  brethren  resumed 
the  strain,  and  sang,  "Arise,  O  Lord,  into  thy  rest;  thou, 
and  the  ark  of  thy  strength.  Let  thy  priests  be  clothed  with 
righteousness ;  and  let  thy  saints  shout  for  joy.  For  thy 
servant  David's  sake  turn  not  away  the  face  of  thine  anoint- 
ed. The  Lord  hath  sworn  in  truth  unto  David ;  he  will  not 
turn  from  it ;  of  the  fruit  of  thy  body  will  I  set  upon  thy 
throne.  If  thy  children  will  keep  my  covenant  and  my  tes- 
timony that  I  shall  teach  them,  their  children  shall  also  sit 
upon  thy  throne  for  evermore.  For  the  Lord  hath  chosen 
Zion  ;  he  hath  desired  it  for  his  habitation.  This  is  my  rest 
forever :  here  will  I  dwell ;  for  I  have  desired  it.  I  will 
abundantly  bless  her  provision  :  I  will  satisfy  her  poor  with 
bread.  I  will  also  clothe  her  priests  with  salvation :  and 
her  saints  shall  shout  aloud  for  joy.  There  will  I  make  the 
horn  of  David  to  bud  :  I  have  ordained  a  lamp  for  mine 
anointed.  His  enemies  will  I  clothe  with  shame  :  but  upon 
himself  shall  his  crown  flourish."  At  this  point  the  proces- 
sion halted,  while  a  double  sacrifice  was  offered  unto  the 
Lord ;  and  such  was  the  elation  of  feeling  among  them  all, 
that  the  king,  clothed  for  the  time  in  a  linen  ephod  like  the 
priests,  is  said  to  have  danced  before  the  Lord. 

But  now  again  the  march  is  renewed.  At  the  sound  of 
the  trumpet  they  that  bare  the  ark  advanced,  and  the  sing- 
ers, accompanied  by  the  instruments  of  music,  raised  the  old 
wilderness  watch-word,  "  Let  God  arise,  let  his  enemies  be 
scattered,"  and  continued  at  intervals  to  sing  appropriate 
strophes  of  that  grand  processional  hymn,  the  68th  Psalm. 
It  is  too  long  to  be  quoted  entire ;  but  if  you  will  carefully 


THE  BRINGING  UP  OF  THE  ARK.  221 

study  it  for  yourselves,  you  will  easily  be  able  to  divide  it 
into  its  separate  portions,  and  will  discover  how  appropriate 
it  was  to  the  occasion  which  called  it  forth.  What  could  be 
finer  than  the  following  strain,  which  we  give  in  the  spirited 
metrical  version  of  an  intimate  friend  and  brother  in  the 
ministry  ? 

"  O  God,  when  thou  didst  march  of  old  before  thy  people's  face, 
And  led  their  way,  by  cloud  and  flame,  through  the  great  wilderness, 
Earth  shook ;  the  heavens  before  thee  dropped,  on  Sinai  tremors  fell, 
Before  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel. 
Lord,  thou  thy  weary  heritage  didst  cheer  with  plenteous  rain  : 
Thy  congregation  dwelt  therein ;  their  poor  thou  didst  sustain. 
God  gave  the  word  :  anon  the  land  rings  with  the  joyful  sound  ; 
Great  was  the  host  of  herald  tongues  that  published  it  around. 
Kings  fled,  with  all  their  bannered  state,  they  bore  themselves  afar, 
And  she  that  dwelt  at  home  did  share  the  trophies  of  the  war : 
Now  may  ye  rise  and  clothe  yourselves  in  splendor  manifold, 
Like  doves  whose  wings  are  silver-bright,  whose  plumes  are  burnished 

gold. 
The  land,  when  God  had  crushed  the  kings,  with  scattered  bones  was 

white ; 

It  glistened  like  the  crown  of  snow  on  Salmon's  crested  height  : 
God's  hill  is  high  as  Bashan's  hill ;  why  leap  ye,  hills  of  pride  ? 
This  Zion  is  the  hill  where  God  forever  will  abide. 
God's  cherub  chariots,  myriad-fold ;  come  flaming  from  afar ; 
And,  as  on  Sinai,  God  is  there,  as  in  a  victor's  car. 
Thou  hast  ascended,  armed  with  gifts,  and  captor  captive  led, 
And  thou  with  men,  rebellious  men,  dost  deign  thy  tent  to  spread. 
Bless'd  be  the  Lord,  salvation's  Lord,  who  lifts  our  load  of  woe ; 
Whose  daily  bounties,  rich  and  free,  in  volumed  fullness  flow ; 
For  God,  he  is  salvation's  God,  and  each  successive  breath 
We  owe  to  him  whose  hand  doth  cast  the  die  of  life  and  death. 
Praise  God,  ye  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  high  be  his  name  extolled, 
Wrho  rides  upon  the  heaven  of  heavens,  whose  splendors  were  of  old. 
Forth  comes  his  voice,  a  mighty  voice ;  what  strength  his  frown  en- 
shrouds ! 

His  majesty  o'er  Israel  shines,  his  strength  is  in  the  clouds. 
O  God  !  from  out  thy  holy  place,  how  dread  thy  terrors  gleam, 
Where  thou  art  in  thy  glory  throned,  between  the  cherubim. 


222  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Thou  to  thy  people  givest  strength,  and  mak'st  them  safely  dwell ; 
Then  be  thy  name  forever  bless'd,  thou  God  of  Israel.* 

When  they  drew  near  to  Jerusalem  they  sung  the  24th 
Psalm,  which  is,  perhaps,  the  most  artistic  in  its  structure  of 
all  those  to  which  we  have  referred.  It  is  antiphonal  in  its 
nature,  and, was  evidently  designed  to  be  sung  by  chorus 
answering  to  chorus.  Perhaps  no  more  striking  idea  of  the 
method  of  its  execution  on  this  occasion  can  be  given  than 
that  which  is  presented  in  the  following  description,  by  Dr. 
Kitto :  "  The  chief  musician,  who  seems  to  have  been  the 
king  himself,  appears  to  have  begun  the  sacred  lay  with  a 
solemn  and  sonorous  recital  of  these  sentences, '  The  earth 
is  the  Lord's,  and  the  fullness  thereof;  the  world,  and  they 
that  dwell  therein.  For  he  hath  founded  it  upon  the  seas, 
and  established  it  upon  the  floods.'  The  chorus  of  vocal 
music  appears  then  to  have  taken  up  the  song,  and  sung  the 
same  words  in  a  more  tuneful  and  elaborate  manner ;  and  the 
instruments  fell  in  with  them,  raising  the  mighty  declaration 
to  heaven.  We  may  presume  that  the  chorus  then  divided, 
each  singing  in  their  turns,  and  both  joining  at  the  close, 
'  For  he  hath  founded  it  upon  the  seas,  and  established  it 
upon  the  floods.'  This  part  of  the  music  may  be  supposed 
to  have  lasted  until  the  procession  reached  the  foot  of  Zion, 
or  came  in  sight  of  it,  which,  from  the  nature  of  the  inclosed 
site,  can  not  be  till  one  comes  quite  near  to  it.  Then  the 
king  must  be  supposed  to  have  stepped  forth  and  begun 
again,  in  a  solemn  and  earnest  tone, '  Who  shall  ascend  into 
the  hill  of  the  Lord  ?  or  who  shall  stand  in  his  holy  place  ?' 
to  which  the  first  chorus  responds,  '  He  that  hath  clean 
hands,  and  a  pure  heart ;  who  hath  not  lifted  up  his  soul 
unto  vanity,  nor  sworn  deceitfully.'  And  then  the  second 

*  "  Sacred  Lyrics,"  by  John  Guthrie,  M.A.,  Glasgow,  p.  170. 


THE  BRINGING  UP  OF  THE  ARK.  223 

chorus  gives  its  reply, '  He  shall  receive  the  blessing  from 
the  Lord,  and  righteousness  from  the  God  of  his  salvation.' 
This  part  of  the  song  may,  in  like  manner,  be  supposed  to 
have  lasted  till  they  reached  the  gate  of  the  city,  when  the 
king  began  again  in  this  grand  and  exalted  strain, '  Lift  up 
your  heads,  O  ye  gates ;  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlasting 
doors ;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in ;'  which  would 
be  repeated  then,  in  the  same  way  as  before,  by  the  general 
chorus.  The  persons  having  charge  of  the  gates  ask, '  Who 
is  this  King  of  glory  ?'  to  which  the  first  chorus  answers, '  It 
is  Jehovah,  strong  and  mighty :  Jehovah,  mighty  in  battle ;' 
which  the  second  chorus  then  repeats  in  like  manner  as  be- 
fore, closing  with  the  grand  refrain, 'He  is  the  King  of  glory: 
He  is  the  King  of  glory.'  We  must  now  suppose  the  instru- 
ments to  take  up  the  same  notes,  and  continue  sounding 
them  to  the  entrance  of  the  Tabernacle  (or  tent)  which  Da- 
vid had  prepared.  There  the  king  again  begins :  '  Lift  up 
your  heads,  O  ye  gates ;  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlasting 
doors;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in.'  This  is  follow- 
ed and  answered  as  before — all  closing  by  the  instruments 
sounding,  and  the  people  shouting, '  He  is  the  King  of  glory.'  "* 
One  can  not  call  up  thus  before  the  eye  of  his  imagination 
such  a  scene  as  this,  without  having  his  heart  stirred  to  its 
very  depths  ;  and  we  do  not  wonder  that  the  effects  produced 
upon  the  actual  spectators  were  of  the  most  thrilling  char- 
acter ;  nor  are  we  surprised  that  the  greatest  poets  in  our 
own  language,  such  as  Milton  and  Young,  have  appropriated 
these  very  words,  as  the  most  sublime  they  could  find,  to  de- 
scribe the  procession  of  the  heavenly  hosts ;  the  one,  in  his 
delineation  of  the  Son  returning  from  the  work  of  creation  ; 
the  other,  in  an  attempt  to  describe  the  glories  of  the  Re- 
deemer's ascension  from  Mount  Olivet,  f 

*  Kitto's  "  Daily  Bible  Illustrations,"  vol.  iii.,  pp.  385,  386. 
t  Milton's  "  Paradise  Lost,"  Book  vii. ;  Young's  "  Night  Thoughts," 
Night  iv. 


224  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

But  amidst  all  these  applications  of  the  words  of  David, 
we  must  not  forget  another,  and  perhaps  the  most  important 
of  all.  The  ark  symbolized  Christ  in  his  peace-giving  pres- 
ence, and  the  Tabernacle  is  an  emblem  of  the  human  heart, 
in  which  he  desires  to  dwell.  Even  now  he  may  be  stand- 
ing and  knocking  at  the  door  of  some  heart  here.  He  who 
is  the  King  of  glory,  and  mighty  in  battle,  is  asking  an  en- 
trance, where  he  well  might  force  his  way.  But  he  conde- 
scends to  plead  for  admission.  Oh,  let  him  not  plead  in  vain ! 
Open  unto  him,  that  you  may  know  what  that  blessed  prom- 
ise means  :  "If  any  man  hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door,  I 
will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me." 

At  the  close  of  the  singing  of  the  24th  Psalm,  the  curtains 
of  the  tent  were  folded  back,  and,  amidst  the  reverent  silence 
of  the  assembled  thousands,  the  ark  was  put  in  its  appointed 
place.  Thereafter,  as  the  joyful  conclusion  of  the  glad  and 
sacred  services,  David  gave  to  Asaph  and  his  brethren,  that 
they  might  sing  it  with  every  proper  accompaniment,  that 
song  which  we  have  preserved  in  the  sixteenth  chapter  of 
the  First  Book  of  Chronicles,  and  which  seems  to  be  a  com- 
bination of  portions  taken  from  the  io5th,  96th,  and  io6th 
Psalms.  Then  he  offered  more  burnt-offerings  and  peace- 
offerings  before  the  Lord ;  and  having  concluded  the  cere- 
mony by  blessing  the  people  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  he 
most  generously  distributed  refreshments  among  them  all. 
So  ended  this  auspicious  day.  "All  the  people  departed, 
every  one  to  his  own  home ;  and  David  returned  to  bless 
his  house."  Only  one  thing  occurred  to  mar  his  happiness. 
After  he  entered  his  palace,  Michal,  the  daughter  of  Saul, 
who  had  never  much  sympathy  with  the  devotional  side  of 
David's  nature,  taunted  him  with  scorn  for  his  dancing  be- 
fore the  ark,  and  sneered  at  him  as  if  he  had  been  one  of 
the  vain  fellows  that  were  altogether  regardless  of  propriety. 
But  the  only  result  was  to  widen  the  breach  which  already 


THE  BRINGING  UP  OF  THE  ARK.  225 

existed  between  them,  and  to  consign  her  to  the  perpetual 
isolation  of  widowhood,  while  she  was  still  in  name  a  wife. 

Two  practical  lessons  are  all  that  space  will  now  permit 
me  to  enforce. 

Observe,  then,  in  the  first  place,  as  here  illustrated,  the 
majesty  of  the  divine  holiness.  When  Uzzah  touched  the 
ark,  he  was  smitten  with  death.  Many  have  wondered  at 
the  apparent  severity  of  the  punishment;  but  when  you  ex- 
amine into  the  matter  minutely,  you  will  see  that  the  divine 
procedure  here  harmonizes  with  the  general  principle  of 
God's  operations  as  observed  in  similar  instances.  The  law 
commanded  that  the  ark  should  be  carried  on  the  shoulders 
of  the  priests,  and  Uzzah  and  all  the  people  ought  to  have 
known  that.  Hence  this  judgment — for  judgment  it  un- 
doubtedly was — was  a  mark  of  God's  displeasure  for  irrev- 
erence, and  was  designed  to  put  them  all  on  their  guard. 
The  whole  Tabernacle  service  appears  to  have  been  ar- 
ranged with  the  view  of  intensifying  the  idea  of  God's  holi- 
ness in  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  leading  them  up  to  the 
truth  that  they  could,  as  sinners,  approach  him  only  through 
sacrifice.  To  keep  these  two  things  constantly  before  the 
people,  they  were  not  allowed  to  come  near  the  sacred  place 
where  the  symbol  of  Jehovah's  presence  dwelt ;  and  those 
whose  business  took  them  into  the  sanctuary  had  to  be  spe- 
cially set  apart  for  the  purpose ;  while  the  high-priest  was 
permitted  to  go  into  the  Holy  of  Holies  only  once  a  year,  and 
then  only  when  he  carried  with  him  the  blood  of  sacrifice. 
Hence,  any  interference  with  the  arrangements  which  con- 
verged toward  the  teachings  of  these  important  truths  was 
solemnly  guarded  against ;  and  at  the  outset  of  every  new 
period  of  the  history  of  Israel,  some  warning  was  given  to 
keep  them  from  irreverence :  Nadab  and  Abihu  perished  in 
the  wilderness;  Uzzah  here  was  struck  down  at  the  inaugura- 
tion of  a  new  era  in  the  Jewish  worship  ;  and  Ananias  and 

10*  - 


226  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Sapphira  were  punished  in  the  same  way  in  the  early  infan- 
cy of  the  Christian  Church. 

Now  the  connection  of  this  latter  case  with  that  of  Uzzah 
here  will  show  you  how  we  in  these  days  can  be  guilty  of 
Uzzah's  sin.  The  Corinthians  were  guilty  of  it  when,  forget- 
ting the  sacred  character  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  they  became 
intoxicated  at  the  table  of  the  Lord ;  and  we  shall  be  guilty 
of  it  if,  with  hearts  estranged  from  God,  and  lives  which  are 
inconsistent  with  his  Word,  we  presume  to  connect  ourselves 
with  his  Church,  and  take  part  in  the  management  of  its  af- 
fairs. David,  therefore,  rightly  read  the  meaning  of  the  breach 
of  Uzzah  when,  in  addition  to  rectifying  his  error  by  putting 
the  ark  on  the  shoulders  of  the  priests,  he  sang  these  words: 
"Who  shall  ascend  into  the  hill  of  the  Lord?  or  who  shall 
stand  in  his  holy  place  ?  He  that  hath  clean  hands  and  a 
pure  heart ;"  and  unless  we  who  are  members  of  the  Church 
have  this  character,  we  shall  be  guilty  of  Uzzah's  sin.  But 
how  shall  we  get  such  a  character?  Only  by  living  union 
to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  offered  himself  in  sacrifice  to 
God  for  us.  In  and  through  him  we  may  approach  God  with 
acceptance,  and,  sprinkled  with  his  blood,  we  may  have  no 
fear  of  any  catastrophe.  Beautiful  here,  in  connection  with 
the  majesty  of  God's  holiness,  and  the  necessity  of  atone- 
ment, if  sinners  would  safely  approach  him,  is  the  lesson  of 
the  cherubim  in  the  Word  of  God.  We  first  meet  these 
symbols  (for  whether  we  see  them  in  the  form  of  living 
creatures,  or  in  that  of  artificial  figures,  they  are  still  sym- 
bols), guarding  the  tree  of  life,  and  keeping  back  our  sinful 
parents  from  approaching  it;  we  next  meet  them  over  the 
mercy-seat,  where  they  are  looking  down  with  satisfaction 
on  the  blood  of  the  victim  ;  we  behold  them  next  in  Isaiah's 
vision,  "  Crying,  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the  Lord  of  hosts  ;"  and 
we  observe  one  of  them  taking  a  live  coal  from  the  altar — 
mark  the  altar,  which  tells  of  sacrifice — and  purifying  there- 


THE  BRINGING  UP  OF  THE  ARK.  227 

with  the  prophet's  life ;  we  come  upon  them  next  in  the 
vision  of  Ezekiel,  where  they  are  the  guardians  of  the  mys- 
tic wheels,  which  indicate,  in  the  minds  of  many,  the  provi- 
dence of  God  among  the  nations ;  and  we  behold  them  for 
the  last  time  in  the  Apocalypse  of  John,  where  they  call 
again,  "  Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty ;"  but  where 
there  is  a  throne,  with  a  lamb  upon  it,  as  if  it  had  been 
slain;  and  beside  the  throne  four -and -twenty  seats,  occu- 
pied by  elders,  representing  the  tribes  of  the  redeemed. 
Now  observe  how  the  Apocalypse,  with  its  paradise  regain- 
ed, stands  in  contrast  to  Genesis,  with  its  paradise  lost.  In 
Genesis,  the  cherubim,  guarding  God's  holiness,  are  warding 
men  away ;  in  the  Apocalypse,  the  cherubim — still,  as  before, 
zealous  for  the  divine  holiness,  for  they  make  that  the  bur- 
den of  their  song — are  complacent  on-lookers,  while  the  eld- 
ers are  seated  on  either  side  of  the  throne.  Why  is  this  ? 
because  on  the  throne  itself  there  is  the  Lamb  of  God  who 
was  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  and  who  in  the 
days  of  his  flesh  bore  the  sins  of  men.  Here  is  explain- 
ed the  mystery  of  the  mercy-seat,  over  which,  with  its  drops 
of  blood  annually  renewed,  the  cherubim  stood  with  folded 
wings,  and  on  which  they  looked  with  such  satisfied  gaze. 
"Jesus  Christ  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  not  for  ours 
only,  but  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world."  If,  therefore,  we 
would  approach  Jehovah  acceptably,  if  we  would  not  provoke 
his  judgments  upon  us,  if  we  would  secure  our  peace  with 
him,  we  must  sprinkle  ourselves  with  this  blood  of  atone- 
ment; that  is,  we  must  believingly  appropriate  to  ourselves 
the  benefits  and  blessings  which  Christ  has  secured  for  us  by 
his  sacrificial  death.  While,  again,  if  we  would  be  fitted  for 
the  service  of  the  Lord,  we  must,  Isaiah-like,  have  our  lips 
purged  by  sacrificial  fire.  We  have  nothing  to  fear  from  God 
if  we  approach  him  in  the  right  way ;  we  have  every  thing  to 
fear  from  him  if  we  approach  him  in  the  wrong  way.  Let 


2 28  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

us,  therefore,  come  "by  that  new  and  living  way  which  Jesus 
hath  consecrated  for  us,  that  is  to  say,  his  flesh  ;  and  having 
a  high-priest  over  the  house  of  God,  let  us  draw  near  with  a 
true  heart,  in  full  assurance  of  faith,  having  our  hearts  sprin- 
kled from  an  evil  conscience,  and  our  bodies  washed  with 
pure  water." 

Finally  :  let  us  learn  from  the  conduct  of  David  in  retiring 
to  bless  his  house,  that  public  religious  services  should  not  be 
allowed  by  us  to  interfere  with  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of 
family  religion.  After  such  a  day  as  that  which  we  have  at- 
tempted to  describe,  David  might  have  imagined  that  he  had 
a  good  excuse  for  omitting  all  domestic  worship ;  but  it  rather 
seemed  that  the  devotions  of  the  day  gave  him  new  zest  for  the 
exercises  of  the  family  altar.  And  this  is  what  always  ought 
to  be.  It  is  to  be  feared,  however,  that  many  among  us  con- 
tent themselves  with  a  mere  go-to-meeting  piety,  and  seem 
to  believe  that  religion  consists  in  a  round  of  public  religious 
services.  They  attend  all  manner  of  holy  convocations. 
You  see  them  at  every  important  devotional  meeting  you 
take  part  in.  But  they  rarely  enter  the  closet;  they  never 
bless  their  houses;  and  their  lives  are  just  as  selfish  and 
unspiritual  as  are  those  of  multitudes  who  make  no  profes- 
sion of  attachment  to  Jesus  whatever.  I  do  not  make  light 
of  the  ordinances  of  God's  worship ;  on  the  contrary,  I  be- 
lieve them  to  be  most  serviceable  in  feeding  the  fire  of  piety 
within  the  heart.  But  what  I  mean  to  say  is,  that  piety  does 
not  consist  in  attending  on  these  means  of  grace,  and  that 
our  engagement  in  public  services  must  never  be  made  an 
excuse  by  us  for  the  neglect  of  household  duties.  "Why  did 
you  not  come  to  church  last  night,"  said  one  working-man  to 
another,  on  a  Monday  morning ;  "  our  minister  was  preach- 
ing a  third  sermon  on  the  duty  of  family  religion ;  why  did 
you  not  come  ?"  "  Because,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  was  at  home 
doing  it."  I  would  like  to  see  not  less  earnestness  in  at- 


THE  BRINGING  UP  OF  THE  ARK.  229 

tendance  upon  the  regular  ordinances  of  the  sanctuary,  but 
more  of  this  "  at  home  doing  it."  Have  you  family  worship 
in  your  dwelling  ?  Oh,  if  you  have  not,  you  know  not  what  a 
privilege  you  are  depriving  yourself  of!  It  is  a  great  means 
of  promoting  family  peace  and  domestic  prosperity.  Try  it, 
and  you  will  find  that  God  will  deal  well  with  you  through 
it,  as  of  old  he  dealt  with  Obed-edom  when  the  ark  was  in 
his  house.  Try  it  at  once.  Begin  to-night.  Never  mind, 
though  you  may  falter  in  your  first  utterances.  There  is 
much  power  in  broken  prayers.  Go,  therefore,  from  this 
house  of  privilege  to  the  family  altar,  and  lay  thereon  a  grate- 
ful offering.  It  will  bind  the  members  of  your  household  to- 
gether by  a  cord  of  spiritual  and  indissoluble  union.  It  will 
elevate  your  home-life  into  a  miniature  of  that  of  heaven. 
It  will  give  you  a  foretaste  of  the  blessedness  of  those  who 
form  the  family  above. 


XIII. 

NATHAN'S  MESSAGE. 
2  SAMUEL  vii.;  ix. 

WITH  great  pomp  and  gladness,  the  ark  of  the  cove- 
nant had  been  brought  to  Jerusalem,  but  David  was 
not  yet  satisfied  ;  for  it  had  been  placed  in  a  mere  tempora- 
ry tent,  and  his  great  desire  was  to  erect  a  splendid  temple 
for  its  permanent  abode.  Hence,  before  he  was  well  es- 
tablished in  his  own  cedar  palace,  he  sent  for  Nathan  the 
prophet,  who  now  for  the  first  time  appears  in  the  narra- 
tive, and  intimated  to  him  his  purpose  in  these  words  :  "  See 
now,  I  dwell  in  a  house  of  cedar,  but  the  ark  of  God  dwelleth 
within  curtains."  The  sentiment  underlying  these  words 
was  in  the  highest  degree  honorable  to  David.  They  indi- 
cate that  he  felt  it  to  be  a  moral  anomaly,  if  not  a  species 
of  dishonesty,  that  he  should  look  so  well  after  his  own  per- 
sonal comfort  and  regal  dignity,  while  yet  the  house  of  God 
was  but  a  tent.  It  were  well,  in  these  days,  that  we  all 
shared  these  convictions,  for  we  are  too  apt  to  lavish  our 
wealth  exclusively  upon  our  own  enjoyment  and  indulgence, 
forgetful  of  the  higher  claims  which  God  and  his  cause  have 
upon  us.  I  say  not,  indeed,  that  it  is  wrong  for  a  man  to 
take  such  a  position  in  society  as  his  riches  warrant  him  to 
assume,  or  that  there  is  sin  in  spending  money  on  our  resi- 
dences, or  in  surrounding  ourselves  with  the  treasures  of  hu- 
man wisdom  in  books,  or  the  triumphs  of  human  art  in  pic- 
tures or  statuary ;  but  I  do  say  that  our  gifts  to  the  cause 
of  God  ought  to  be  at  least  abreast  of  our  expenditure  for 
these  other  things ;  and  that  if  we  so  cripple  ourselves  by 


NATHAN'S  MESSAGE.  231 

our  extravagance  on  house,  or  dress,  or  luxuries,  as  to  render 
it  impossible  for  us  to  do  any  thing  for  the  promotion  of  the 
Gospel  abroad,  or  for  the  instruction  of  the  ignorant  at  home, 
we  are  "verily  guilty  concerning  our  brethren,"  and  before 
our  God.  The  principle  here  acknowledged  by  David  is  a 
thoroughly  sound  one,  and  though  he  was  discouraged  from 
applying  it  in  the  particular  way  on  which  he  had  set  his 
heart,  we  must  not  suppose  that  his  feelings,  as  expressed  to 
Nathan,  were  wrong.  On  the  contrary,  the  spiritual  instinct 
in  him  was  true,  and  God  declared  that  "  it  was  well  that  it 
was  in  his  heart."  Now  what  was  this  principle  ?  It  was 
this,  that  in  proportion  as  we  increase  our  expenditure  upon 
ourselves  for  the  comforts  and  the  elegancies  of  life,  we 
ought  to  increase  our  offerings  to  God  for  the  carrying 
on  of  works  of  faith  and  labors  of  love  among  our  fellow- 
men.  If  we  can  afford  to  enter  a  larger  dwelling,  we  ought 
to  make  ourselves  afford  to  add  proportionately  to  our  con- 
tributions for  all  good  objects.  If  we  allow  ourselves  to 
gratify  our  taste  in  the  purchase  of  a  new  picture  or  a  new 
book,  we  should  feel  impelled  to  do  just  so  much  more  for 
the  gratification  of  the  impulse  of  Christian  benevolence. 
The  value  of  this  principle,  when  rightly  understood,  and 
conscientiously  carried  out,  will  be  very  great.  It  will  act 
in  two  ways.  On  the  one  hand,  it  will  keep  us  from  ham- 
pering ourselves  in  our  benevolence  by  personal  extrava- 
gance, and  so  be  a  check  on  that  tendency  to  luxury  which 
is  manifested  even  in  many  Christian  households.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  will  impel  us  to  add  to  our  gifts  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ;  since  every  time  we  do  any  thing  for  ourselves 
there  will  be  a  new  call  made  upon  us  to  do  more  for  him. 
The  world's  maxim  is,  "  Be  just  before  you  are  generous ;" 
and,  indeed,  it  would  be  well  if  the  world's  own  votaries  al- 
ways acted  thereon,  for  it  is  very  easy  to  be  benevolent  with 
other  people's  money.  But  the  Christian's  maxim  ought  to 


232  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

be,  "Make  your  generosity  a  matter  of  justice."  Be  just  to 
God,  as  good  stewards  of  his  manifold  bounties  ;  and  when- 
ever you  increase  your  doings  for  yourselves,  be  sure  that 
you  proportionately  increase  your  doings  for  him.  There  is 
no  harm  in  your  cedar  palace,  provided  only  the  erection  of 
that  stimulate  you  to  do  more  than  ever  for  Christ.  I  am 
the  more  particular  to  put  the  matter  thus,  because,  from  a 
mistaken  zeal  for  the  Lord,  many  have  taken  up  a  position 
regarding  it  which  is  flagrantly  unjust.  They  do  not  hesi- 
tate to  blame  Christian  men  for  dwelling  in  fine  houses,  and 
surrounding  themselves  with  beautiful  objects,  while  so  many 
poor  people  are  starving  for  want  of  food,  and  so  many  igno- 
rant ones  are  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge,  and  this  alto- 
gether irrespective  of  the  fact  that  some  who  do  live  in  ce- 
dar houses  are  among  the  most  benevolent  in  the  land.  But 
where  is  this  to  end  ?  Are  we  all  to  go  back  to  the  cheer- 
less, carpetless,  comfortless  houses  of  hundreds  of  years  ago  ? 
or  are  we  to  be  content  with  the  blanket  and  the  wigwam 
of  the  Indian,  and  give  all  else  to  benevolence  ?  Nay.  The 
Lord  does  not  blame  David  here  for  building  his  cedar 
palace.  On  the  contrary,  I  believe  he  was  as  glad  to  see 
David  in  it,  as  a  modern  father  is  to  visit  his  son  in  the  com- 
fortable home  which  his  industry  and  integrity  have  secured 
for  him.  God  does  not  want  us  to  go  in  threadbare  attire, 
and  live  in  cold  and  ugly  apartments.  He  loves  to  see  his 
stewards  comfortable.  But  while  he  rejoices  in  our  comfort, 
he  desires  that  we  should  share  it  with  others.  If  I  were  to 
go  to  a  wealthy  man's  house,  and,  after  surveying  his  paint- 
ings and  his  plate,  his  carriage  and  his  horses,  and  all  the 
other  accessories  of  refinement  around  him,  I  should  say, 
"  To  what  purpose  is  this  waste  ?  Ought  not  all  these  things 
to  be  sold  and  given  to  the  poor  ?"  I  should  feel  as  if  some- 
how the  meanness  of  Judas  had  got  into  my  heart,  and  I 
should  not  hope  to  do  him  any  good ;  but  if,  conceding  to 


NATHAN'S  MESSAGE.  233 

him  that  God  delights  in  his  comfort  and  rejoices  in  his  hap- 
piness, I  should  unfold  to  him  this  principle,  that  the  enjoy- 
ment of  so  many  good  things  carries  with  it  the  obligation  to 
do  just  so  much  the  more  for  Christ,  I  should  expect  to  make 
some  impression  upon  him.  There  may  be  those  here  to- 
night who  have  done  much  more  for  themselves  than  others 
could  honestly  attempt.  Let  me  ask  them  to  consider  that 
their  larger  measure  of  enjoyment  involves  in  it  the  duty  of 
doing  just  so  much  the  more,  for  the  furtherance  of  the  Gos- 
pel and  the  welfare  of  their  fellow-men.  Let  me  beg  them 
to  press  this  question  to  their  consciences  :  "Am  I  doing  as 
much  more  than  others  for  Christ  as  I  am  doing  for  myself?" 
And  if  they  can  not  conscientiously  say  "  Yes,"  then  let  me 
beseech  them  to  do  less  for  themselves,  that  they  may  do 
more  for  him. 

When  Nathan  heard  David's  proposal,  which  would  be,  of 
course,  much  more  fully  explained  to  him  than  it  is  in  the  sim- 
ple summary  of  the  conversation  given  in  the  history,  he  an- 
swered, "Go, do  all  that  is  in  thine  heart;  for  the  Lord  is  with 
thee."  This,  however,  was  only  his  own  individual  opinion, 
in  which  he  gave  expression,  as  a  good  man  would  naturally 
do,  to  the  feelings  of  gratification  with  which  he  had  heard 
of  the  royal  intention.  But  during  the  subsequent  night, 
God  gave  him  a  special  message  to  the  king,  which,  while 
preventing  him  from  undertaking  the  building  of  the  Tem- 
ple, yet  contained  in  it  predictions  of  greatest  interest,  not 
only  to  himself,  but  to  all  nations.  I  need  not  go  over  it 
in  detail.  Let  it  suffice  that  I  indicate  what  I  regard  to  be 
its  meaning,  premising  that  for  the  view  which  I  present  I 
am  indebted  to  the  suggestive  comments  of  Keil  upon  the 
passage. 

The  first  part  of  the  announcement  virtually  amounts  to 
this :  "  Thou  shalt  not  build  an  house  for  me,  but  I,  who  se- 
lected thee  when  thou  wast  following  the  sheep,  will  build 


234  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

thee  an  house,  and  then  thy  son  shall  rear  an  house  for  my 
name."  Nor  is  this  a  mere  play  upon  words,  as  at  first  sight 
it  might  appear  to  be.  It  refers  to  the  fact  that,  up  to  this 
time,  David's  kingdom  was  not  thoroughly  established,  and 
draws  from  that  the  inference  that  God's  ark  was  not  yet  to 
exchange  the  Tabernacle,  which  was  the  symbol  of  unsettled 
abode,  for  the  Temple,  which  was  the  emblem  of  permanent 
residence.  "As  long  as  the  quiet  and  full  possession  of  the 
land  of  Canaan  was  disputed  by  their  enemies  round  about, 
even  the  dwelling-place  of  their  God  could  not  assume  any 
other  form  than  that  of  a  wanderer's  tent.  The  kingdom 
of  God  in  Israel  first  acquired  its  rest  and  consolidation 
through  the  efforts  of  David,  when  God  had  made  all  his 
foes  subject  to  him,  and  had  established  his  throne  firmly, 
that  is,  had  assured  to  his  descendants  the  possession  of  the 
kingdom  for  all  future  time.  And  it  was  this  which  ushered 
in  the  time  for  the  building  of  a  stationary  house  as  a  dwell- 
ing for  the  name  of  the  Lord.  The  conquest  of  the  citadel 
of  Zion,  and  the  elevation  of  that  fortress  into  the  palace 
of  the  king,  was  the  commencement  of  the  establishment  of 
the  kingdom,"*  but  only  the  commencement,  for  many  foes 
had  yet  to  be  encountered  and  overcome.  Till  they  were 
subdued,  then,  the  Temple  should  not  be  built ;  for  the  tent, 
or  symbol  of  pilgrimage,  would  not  be  laid  aside  by  God  for 
his  ark  until  it  had  been  first  made  clearly  evident  that  the 
people  among  whom  that  ark  was  to  reside  were  themselves 
permanently  established  in  the  land  which  had  been  given 
them.  This  permanent  establishment  David,  aided  by  Je- 
hovah, was  to  make  good,  and  then  his  son  would  rear  the 
Temple,  in  token  of  the  perpetuity  of  the  kingdom  and  dy- 
nasty which  he  was  to  found.  In  the  version  given  in  the 

*  Keil  and  Delitzsch,  "Biblical  Commentary  on  the  Books  of  Samuel," 
P-344- 


NATHAN'S  MESSAGE.  235 

book  of  Samuel,  no  personal  reason  is  assigned  why  David 
was  not  to  build  the  Temple,  but,  from  his  own  words  on  his 
death-bed,  we  learn  that  he  was  forbidden  to  do  what  was 
in  his  heart,  "  because  he  was  a  man  of  war  and  had  shed 
blood."  Perhaps  this  was  founded  on  the  sacredness  of 
blood  as  a  symbol,  of  which  so  much  is  made  under  the 
old  covenant ;  but  possibly  Keil  may  be  right  when  he  sees, 
even  in  these  words,  a  confirmation  of  the  interpretation 
which  I  have  just  given,  and  takes  them  to  indicate  that,  so 
long  as  wars  were  necessary  or  inevitable  for  David,  they 
were  practical  proofs  that  his  kingdom  and  government 
were  not  yet  established.  Besides,  the  Temple,  as  a  symbol 
of  God's  kingdom,  was  to  shadow  forth  its  peace  as  well  as 
its  permanence,  and  for  that  reason  not  David  the  warrior, 
but  Solomon  the  peaceful,  was  its  appropriate  builder. 

The  second  portion  of  Nathan's  message,  extending  from 
the  twelfth  to  the  sixteenth  verse,  gives  a  more  precise  ac- 
count of  the  manner  in  which  God  would  build  his  servant's 
house,  and  has  a  clear  reference  to  Solomon  and  his  de- 
scendants. In  this  aspect  of  the  prophecy,  it  was  fulfilled 
when  God  kept  the  kingdom  for  Solomon  in  spite  of  the 
plots  of  his  brother  Adonijah,  when  Solomon  built  the  Tem- 
ple, and  also,  alas  !  when  Solomon  sinned  by  idolatry,  and 
entailed  upon  Rehoboam  the  loss  of  the  ten  tribes.  Thus 
God  "  chastened  him  with  the  rod  of  men,  and  with  the 
stripes  of  the  children  of  men  ;"  but  inasmuch  as  he  and  his 
descendants  were  continued  on  the  throne  of  Judah,  these 
other  words  were  verified  :  "  My  mercy  shall  not  depart 
away  from  him,  as  I  took  it  from  Saul,  whom  I  put  away  be- 
fore thee." 

But  while  the  primary  reference  of  this  prediction  to  Sol- 
omon and  his  immediate  descendants  is  unmistakable,  it 
must  be  evident  even  to  the  least  thoughtful  reader,  that  "  a 
greater  than  Solomon  is  here."  Thrice  it  is  alleged  that 


236  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

the  throne  of  David's  kingdom  should  be  established  forev- 
er ;  and  we  may  not  seek  to  reduce  these  words  to  the  pop- 
ular notion  of  a  long,  indefinite  period.  We  must  take  them 
in  an  absolute  sense,  as  they  are  understood  in  the  Sgth 
Psalm,  where  there  is  a  clear  reference  to  this  prophecy,  and 
where  the  expression  is  thus  paraphrased.  "  His  seed  also 
will  I  make  to  endure  forever,  and  his  throne  as  the  days  of 
heaven."  Now,  as  Keil  remarks,  "  The  posterity  of  David 
could  only  last  forever  by  running  out  in  a  person  who  lives 
forever,  that  is,  by  culminating  in  the  Messiah,  who  lives  for- 
ever, and  of  whose  kingdom  there  is  no  end."* 

Thus  we  reach  a  new  landmark  in  the  development  of 
Messianic  prophecy  in  the  Old  Testament.  The  promised 
deliverer  is  spoken  of  first  as  "the  seed  of  the  woman;"  then 
as  the  seed  of  Abraham ;  then  as  the  child  of  Isaac ;  then 
as  the  son  of  Jacob ;  and  then  as  the  Shiloh  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah.  Now,  out  of  that  tribe  the  family  of  David  is  desig- 
nated as  that  in  which  he  was  to  appear;  while  with  this 
description  of  his  lineage  there  is  conjoined  the  information 
that  he  was  to  found  a  kingdom  which  would  be  universal  in 
its  extent,  and  eternal  in  its  duration.  Thus,  in  the  course 
of  the  ages,  that  first  Edenic  prediction,  so  nebulous  and  in- 
distinct, acquired  definiteness  and  precision,  until  at  length, 
when  the  fullness  of  the  time  was  come,  there  converged  to- 
ward Jesus  of  Nazareth  so  many  lines  of  prophetic  proof, 
that  he  could  be  at  once  identified  as  the  promised  Re- 
deemer. 

But  the  connection  of  a  prediction  of  the  Messiah  with  a 
message  to  David,  regarding  the  building  of  the  Temple,  il- 
lustrates another  peculiarity  by  which  many  Old  Testament 
prophecies  are  distinguished.  While  some  of  these  ancient 

*  Keil  and  Delitzsch,  "  Biblical  Commentary  on  the  Books  of  Samuel," 
P-  347- 


NATHAN'S  MESSAGE.  237 

oracles  stand  out  clearly  from  the  circumstances  and  the 
times  in  which  they  were  given,  and  refer  simply  and  alone 
to  Christ,  there  are  others  which,  while  pointing  ultimately  to 
him,  yet  do  so  through  and  in  connection  with  the  position 
and  history  of  those  to  whom  they  were  originally  addressed. 
Now  of  this  latter  class  the  prediction  on  which  I  have  been 
remarking  is  an  example.  David  was  himself,  in  his  offi- 
cial position  and  dignity  as  king,  a  prophecy  of  the  Messiah. 
Hence  predictions  which  had  a  primary  reference  to  him 
as  a  king,  and  to  his  house  as  a  dynasty,  had  through  him 
an  allusion  to  the  Messiah,  and  were  thoroughly  fulfilled 
only  in  Christ.  When,  however,  we  interpret  all  such  ora- 
cles, both  of  the  type  and  of  the  antetype,  we  are  not  putting 
upon  them  a  double  sense.  The  truth  rather  is,  that  he  to 
whom  they  were  first  given  sustained  a  double  character,  and 
we  find  that  the  one  meaning  of  the  predictions  holds  true  of 
him  in  both  characters.  It  is,  therefore,  utterly  impossible  to 
exhaust  the  meaning  of  such  a  prophecy  as  this  before  us,  or 
such  a  Psalm  as  the  second,  without  going  through  David  to 
David's  son,  who  was  also  David's  Lord.  Indeed,  from  some 
of  David's  own  expressions  here,  and  especially  from  some 
of  his  words  in  the  2d,  Sgth,  and  noth  Psalms,  which  all  re- 
duplicate on  this  message  of  Nathan's,  it  would  almost  seem 
that  he  himself  had  some  idea  of  its  ultimate  reference. 
Perhaps  we  may  apply  to  him  the  words  of  Peter  to  the 
prophets  generally,  and  say, "  that  he  searched  what,  or  what 
manner  of  time,  the  Spirit  of  Christ  did  signify  when  it  testi- 
fied beforehand  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that 
should  follow."  But,  however  that  may  be,  and  whether  or 
not  he  had  in  connection  with  this  promise  any  prevision  of 
the  Redeemer,  we  can  not  but  feel  that  there  are  expressions 
here  which,  true  in  a  subsidiary  sense  of  David,  can  only  be 
said  to  be  fully  verified  in  Jesus  Christ. 

But  now,  leaving  the  significance  of  the  prophecy  itself, 


238  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

we  must  attend  to  the  manner  in  which  it  was  received  by 
David.  At  the  first,  perhaps,  there  might  be  a  pang  of  dis- 
appointment in  his  heart,  when  he  was  told  so  decisively 
that  he  was  not  to  be  the  builder  of  the  Temple,  for  this  had 
been  the  one  great  desire  of  his  soul ;  and  it  is  not  easy 
for  one  in  a  moment  to  reconcile  himself  to  another  arrange- 
ment of  his  life  than  that  which  he  had  planned  for  himself. 
We  think  of  the  author  who,  having  been  kept  by  one  inter- 
ruption after  another  from  the  great  work  to  which  he  meant 
to  give  his  life,  is  at  last  fairly  in  sight  of  its  being  under- 
taken by  him,  and  then,  overtaken  by  weakness,  is  compelled 
to  leave  it  unattempted.  We  think  of  the  statesman  who 
has  fought  his  way  through  the  jealousies,  and  envyings,  and 
depreciations  of  rivals  into  the  front,  and  who  seems  just 
about  to  lay  his  hand  upon  the  helm  of  the  commonwealth, 
when  God  in  his  providence  breaks  him  down  with  disease, 
and  bids  him  step  aside  that  another  may  go  before  him. 
We  think  of  the  President  who  had  safely  piloted  his  coun- 
try through  the  rapids  of  a  terrible  civil  war,  and  was  just 
about  to  reconstruct  on  a  broader  and  more  stable  founda- 
tion a  reunited  nation,  when  he  was  stricken  down,  and  the 
life  that  was  shaping  itself  into  a  finished  pillar  became,  to 
human  view,  only  a  broken  shaft.  And  as  these  and  similar 
disarrangements  of  earthly  plans  come  up  before  us,  bring- 
ing with  them  their  appropriate  feelings,  we  may  be  apt  to 
imagine  that  when  David  saw  the  hope  of  his  life  cut  off 
in  a  moment,  he  would  be  plunged  into  the  deepest  dejec- 
tion. But  if,  even  for  an  instant,  such  an  emotion  existed 
in  his  breast,  it  was  speedily  subdued,  and  he  was  not  only 
resigned  to  the  determination  of  God,  but  also  jubilant  and 
grateful  for  the  divine  goodness.  Nor  is  it  difficult  to  ac- 
count for  this ;  for  he  sought  to  build  the  Temple,  not  for 
his  own  glory,  but  for  that  of  Jehovah.  In  desiring  to  rear 
a  majestic  house  for  God's  dwelling-place  and  worship,  he 


NATHAN'S  MESSAGE.  239 

was  actuated  by  no  vulgar  craving  for  fame,  like  that  which 
impelled  Erostratus  to  set  fire  to  the  Ephesian  Diana's  fane  ; 
he  wished  to  honor  Jehovah  ;  and  if  God  preferred  that  he 
should  be  honored  by  him  in  another  way,  who  was  he  that 
he  should  question  the  wisdom  of  his  choice  ?  Moreover, 
he  was  assured  that  the  Temple  should  be  built,  and  that 
was,  in  his  estimation,  a  greater  thing  than  that  he  should 
build  it.  Furthermore,  the  Lord  had  been  graciously  pleased 
to  speak  to  him  of  the  royal  house  which  he  was  to  found, 
and  of  the  kingdom  rising  out  of  his  own  which  was  to  last 
forever ;  and  in  the  contemplation  of  these  wondrous  things 
he  forgot  his  personal  predilections,  and  was  dumb  with 
amazement  at  the  divine  regard  for  him,  taking  refuge  in 
God's  omniscience  as  a  guarantee  that  his  silence  would  not 
be  misunderstood.  "  What  can  David  say  more  unto  thee  ? 
for  thou,  Lord  God,  knowest  thy  servant."  Then,  when  he 
could  find  speech  again,  he  used  it  to  magnify  God's  name, 
and  to  turn  the  promises  which  he  had  just  received  into 
prayers.  "And  now,  O  Lord  God,  the  word  that  thou  hast 
spoken  concerning  thy  servant,  establish  it  forever,  and  do 
as  thou  hast  said."  "  Let  it  please  thee  to  bless  the  house 
of  thy  servant,  that  it  may  continue  forever  before  thee :  for 
thou,  O  Lord  God,  hast  spoken  it :  and  with  thy  blessing  let 
the  house  of  thy  servant  be  blessed  forever."  Thus  faith 
ever  produces  humility,  gratitude,  and  prayer — humility  at  the 
thought  that  God  has  been  so  good  to  the  believer ;  gratitude 
at  the  remembrance  of  the  goodness  promised  ;  and  prayer 
that  the  promise  may  be  fulfilled.  To  some,  indeed,  it  may 
seem  that  the  two  former  are  more  natural  results  of  faith 
than  the  latter,  since,  if  the  faith  be  strong,  it  might  be  ex- 
pected to  leave  God  to  himself,  without  making  any  request 
to  him  on  the  subject.  But  they  who  think  thus  know  little 
of  the  workings  of  the  filial  heart.  Your  child  does  not  re- 
frain from  asking  because  you  have  made  him  a  promise ; 


240  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

nay,  rather,  just  because  of  your  promise,  he  asks  all  the 
more.  And  if  it  be  thus  with  our  faith  in  a  human  father, 
we  may  not  wonder  that  it  is  so  also  with  our  confidence  in 
the  promises  made  to  us  by  our  Father  who  is  in  heaven. 
When  Mary  of  Nazareth  was  told  that  to  her  was  reserved 
the  highest  honor  of  womanhood,  it  was  thus  she  made  reply 
to  Gabriel :  "  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord ;  be  it  unto 
me  according  to  thy  word,"  thereby  uniting  the  sublimest 
faith  and  prayer  in  one.  And  we  then  only  truly  believe 
God's  promise  when  we  take  it  and  turn  it  into  a  petition. 
Let  us  profit,  then,  from  such  examples ;  and  when  we  come 
upon  some  gracious  word,  let  us  pause  over  it,  and  trans- 
mute it  into  supplication.  Is  it  written  "  I,  even  I,  am  he 
that  blotteth  out  thy  transgressions  for  mine  own  sake,  and 
will  not  remember  thy  sins,"  let  us  while  we  read  make  this 
response  :  "  For  thy  name's  sake,  O  Lord,  pardon  mine  in- 
iquity, for  it  is  great."  Is  it  written,  "A  new  heart  also  will 
I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  within  you,"  let  us 
while  we  read  make  this  request :  "  Create  in  me  a  clean 
heart,  O  God ;  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me."  Is  it 
written, "  I  will  put  my  Spirit  within  you,"  let  us  while  we 
read  raise  this  supplication  :  "  Be  it  unto  me  according  to  thy 
word."  But  why  need  I  enlarge?  You  can  scarcely  read  a 
page  of  the  Scriptures  without  coming  upon  some  exceeding 
great  and  precious  promise ;  be  it  yours,  therefore,  to  pause 
over  each,  and  let  your  faith  in  it  blossom  into  a  prayer  for 
it.  This  will  be  the  true  responsive  reading  of  the  sacred 
Scriptures,  wherein  there  shall  be  not  merely  the  answering 
of  voice  to  voice  among  men,  but  the  responding  of  your 
heart  to  God.  Happy  they  in  whose  souls  there  is  thus  a 
continually  recurring  amen  to  the  benedictions  of  the  Lord ! 
In  the  chapter  which  follows  God's  message  to  David 
through  Nathan,  and  the  account  of  David's  reception  of  it, 
we  have  a  general  summary  of  the  wars  of  David,  not  pre- 


NATHAN'S  MESSAGE.  241 

sented  in  the  order  in  which  they  occurred,  but  gathered  up 
into  one  aggregate  account;  and  at  the  close  we  have  an 
enumeration  of  the  members  of  what  in  modern  phrase  would 
be  called  his  cabinet.  Both  of  these,  however,  we  shall 
meanwhile  omit,  reserving  them  for  our  next  discourse,  which 
shall  be  devoted  to  an  account  of  the  national  administration 
of  David.  And  we  conclude  now  with  a  brief  reference  to 
his  treatment  of  Mephibosheth,  the  son  of  Jonathan. 

Considering  the  devoted  friendship  between  David  and  Jon- 
athan, and  the  solemn  league  into  which  they  entered  with 
each  other,  we  are  apt  to  think  that  David  was  very  tardy 
in  seeking  to  carry  out  the  weighty  obligations  under  which 
he  lay.  And  if  he  had  been  really  aware  that  a  son  of  Jona- 
than was  in  existence,  we  should  have  been  disposed  to  blame 
him  very  much  for  neglecting  the  child  of  his  noble  and  dis- 
interested friend ;  but,  from  what  appears  in  the  narrative  here, 
taken  in  connection  with  the  incidents  of  Mephibosheth's 
early  life,  we  are  led  to  conclude  that  he  was  ignorant  of 
his  existence  up  till  the  time  when  he  made  the  inquiry  of 
which  an  account  is  here  given.  Referring  to  the  fourth 
chapter  of  2d  Samuel,  fourth  verse,  we  learn  that  when  Jona- 
than was  slain  Mephibosheth  was  only  five  years  old.  Now, 
for  six  years  before  that  date  David  had  not  been  at  the 
court  of  Saul.  Probably,  therefore,  he  had  never  heard  of 
the  birth  of  Jonathan's  son,  and  the  events  which  occurred 
after  the  battle  of  Gilboa  were  of  such  a  nature  as  to  render 
it  all  but  impossible  for  him  to  hear  much  concerning  Me- 
phibosheth. He  was  living  at  Gibeah  with  his  nurse  when 
news  of  the  death  of  his  father  arrived.  When  she  heard 
what  had  happened,  she  hastened  to  take  him  to  a  place  of 
safety;  but,  in  her  trepidation,  she  either  let  him  fall,  or  stum- 
bled and  fell  with  him,  and  in  consequence  of  the  injuries 
which  he  thus  received  he  was  a  cripple  for  life.  After  his 
escape  from  Gibeah  he  was  taken  to  the  other  side  of  the 

ii 


242  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Jordan,  and  brought  up  in  the  house  of  Machir,  at  Lo-debar, 
in  Gilead,  where  he  was  discovered  by  Ziba,  a  servant  of  the 
house  of  Saul,  whom  David  employed  for  the  purpose  of 
bringing  him  to  court.  When  Mephibosheth  came  to  Jeru- 
salem, David  caused  him  to  be  reinstated  in  the  family  in- 
heritance of  Saul,  and,  committing  its  management  to  Ziba  as 
steward,  with  instructions  to  bring  the  returns  at  stated  times 
to  his  master,  he  retained  Mephibosheth  himself  at  Jerusa- 
lem, and  reserved  for  him  a  place  of  honor  at  his  own  ta- 
ble. Not  every  king  would  thus  have  honored  the  heir  of 
the  dynasty  which  he  had  dispossessed ;  but  David  remem- 
bered Jonathan  and  believed  God.  The  memory  of  his  for- 
mer friend  bound  him  to  Mephibosheth ;  and  his  belief  in 
the  promise  of  God  through  Nathan  kept  him  from  all  fear 
of  being  dispossessed  of  his  throne. 

In  bringing  our  review  of  this  important  portion  of  the  sa- 
cred narrative  to  a  close,  I  restrict  myself  to  one  particular 
line  of  remark.  We  have  seen  that  David  was  himself  a 
prophecy  of  Christ.  It  follows  from  that,  therefore,  that  the 
Temple  which  he  so  desired  to  build  is  a  prophecy  of  the 
Church.  With  all  its  grandeur  under  Solomon,  that  stately 
building  was,  after  all,  only  a  type  of  that  more  glorious  spir- 
itual fabric  which  is  "  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  apos- 
tles and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the  chief  corner- 
stone, in  whom  all  the  building,  fitly  framed  together,  grow- 
eth  into  an  holy  temple  in  the  Lord."  Now,  in  the  erection 
of  this  living  temple  we  may  all  take  part.  When  by  faith 
in  Jesus  Christ  we  become  united  to  him,  and  receive  the 
Holy  Spirit  into  our  hearts,  we,  as  it  were,  build  ourselves, 
or,  in  another  aspect  of  it,  are  built  by  God,  as  living  stones 
into  that  glorious  edifice  which  Jehovah  through  the  ages  is 
rearing  for  his  own  eternal  abode.  When,  again,  by  our  in- 
strumentality, either  directly  in  the  efforts  which  we  put  forth 
at  home,  or  indirectly  through  the  labors  of  those  whom  we 


NATHAN'S  MESSAGE.  243 

sustain  abroad,  we  work  for  the  conversion  of  others,  we  are 
engaged  as  under-builders  on  the  same  spiritual  edifice.  Da- 
vid would  have  counted  it  the  highest  privilege  of  his  life  if 
he  had  been  permitted  to  build  the  Temple  on  Moriah ;  and 
even  after  the  prohibition  came  by  the  mouth  of  Nathan,  it 
was  the  joy  of  his  latter  years  to  collect  materials  wherewith 
Solomon,  his  son,  might  raise  a  house  worthy  of  Jehovah's 
worship.  Nay,  more,  in  the  days  of  Solomon  himself,  after 
the  gorgeous  structure  had  been  raised,  every  one  who  had 
done  any  thing,  however  small,  in  the  way  of  helping  on  its 
erection,  was  invested  with  a  peculiar  honor  in  the  eyes  of 
his  fellow-countrymen.  As  the  Psalm  expresses  it :  "A  man 
was  famous  according  as  he  had  lifted  axes  upon  the  thick 
trees."  But  a  higher  privilege,  and  a  more  lasting  renown, 
will  be  the  portion  of  him  who  assists  in  the  most  humble 
capacity  in  the  uprearing  of  that  Church  which  is  to  be  "  for 
a  habitation  of  God  through  the  Spirit."  "  They  that  be  wise 
shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  they  that 
turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever." 
Shall  this  honor,  my  hearer,  be  thine  ?  What  art  thou  doing 
now  for  the  building  of  the  spiritual  temple  of  the  Lord  of 
Hosts  ?  Let  me  beseech  thee  to  build  for  eternity,  by  build- 
ing here.  Only  beware  how  thou  buildest,  for  "  if  any  man 
build  upon  this  foundation  gold,  silver,  precious  stones,  wood, 
hay,  stubble;  every  man's  work  shall  be  made  manifest:  for 
the  day  shall  declare  it,  because  it  shall  be  revealed  by  fire ; 
and  the  fire  shall  try  every  man's  work  of  what  sort  it  is." 
Remember  this  also,  that  if  we  would  build  acceptably  at  this 
temple,  we  must  sacredly  preserve  our  own  holiness  of  heart 
and  purity  of  life.  It  is  recorded  of  Sir  Christopher  Wren, 
that,  having  heard  that  some  of  the  workmen  engaged  in  the 
erection  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  London,  had  been  guilty 
of  profane  swearing,  he  caused  it  to  be  posted  all  round  the 
works  that  if  any  one  should  be  heard  taking  the  name  of 


244  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

God  in  vain,  he  should  be  instantly  dismissed ;  because  he 
considered  it  an  impious  thing  that  any  such  practices  should 
be  indulged  in  by  those  who  were  building  a  house  of  God. 
But  if  so  much  care  was  taken  by  that  great  man,  that  those 
who  were  working  on  a  material  structure  should  hallow 
God's  name  on  their  lips,  should  not  we  who  seek  to  build 
up  the  Church  of  Christ  itself  endeavor  always  to  honor  God 
in  our  hearts  ?  They  who  are  engaged  in  church  work,  or 
missionary  effort,  should  be  men  of  peace,  of  holiness,  of  love 
themselves ;  for  if  they  are  not  distinguished  by  these  char- 
acteristics, they  will  do  more  harm  than  good  to  others,  and 
they  will  draw  down  punishment  upon  themselves ;  for  "if  any 
man  defile  the  temple  of  God,  him  shall  God  destroy."  Here, 
then,  is  the  order  of  our  exhortations :  first  build  your  own 
selves  into  this  temple  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ;  thereafter 
seek  to  build  others  into  it  also  by  your  efforts,  your  contri- 
butions, and  your  prayers ;  and  all  the  while  that  you  are 
working  thus,  see  that  ye  keep  yourselves  unspotted  from 
the  world,  "  for  the  temple  of  God  is  holy,  which  temple  are 
ye.  Know  ye  not  that  your  bodies  are  the  members  of 
Christ  ?  Shall  ye,  then,  take  the  members  of  Christ  and 
make  them  instruments  of  uncleanness?  God  forbid !  Know 
ye  not  that  your  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which 
is  in  you,  which  ye  have  of  God,  and  ye  are  not  your  own  ? 
for  ye  are  bought  with  a  price :  therefore  glorify  God  in  your 
body,  and  in  your  spirit,  which  are  God's." 


XIV. 

DAVID'S  ADMINISTRATION. 
2  SAMUEL  viii.,  15. 

IN  the  minds  of  most  readers  of  the  Bible,  the  name  of 
David,  king  of  Israel,  is  associated  mainly  with  military 
prowess,  poetic  genius,  and  personal  piety  ;  and  only  on  the 
rarest  occasions  do  we  hear  any  reference  made  to  his  ad- 
ministrative ability.  Yet  in  this  last  quality  he  was,  at  least, 
as  remarkable  as  in  any  one  of  the  others  which  we  have 
named ;  and  great  injustice  is  done  to  him  if  we  leave  out 
of  view  the  eminent  services  which  he  rendered  to  his  coun- 
try by  the  exercise  of  his  governmental  and  organizing  facul- 
ties. It  has  happened  thus  with  the  son  of  Jesse,  as  with 
many  others,  that  the  showier  and  more  dashing  talents  which 
he  possessed  have  eclipsed,  or  cast  into  the  shade,  his  other 
less  ostentatious,  but,  in  their  own  places,  equally  valuable 
characteristics.  It  may  help  us,  therefore,  to  a  correct  esti- 
mate of  his  public  and  official  career,  as  well  as  prove  in  it- 
self a  most  interesting  study,  if  we  devote  a  short  while  to 
an  inquiry  into  the  manner  in  which  he  arranged  and  admin- 
istered the  affairs  of  the  nation.  In  prosecuting  our  investi- 
gations, we  shall  avail  ourselves  of  the  details  which  are  very 
fully  given  in  various  portions  of  the  books  of  Samuel,  the 
Kings,  and  the  Chronicles,  acknowledging  our  obligations 
throughout  to  the  labors  of  Dean  Stanley,  Dr.  Blaikie,  Dr. 
Kitto,  and  others,  in  this  department;  and  we  shall  fail  to 
produce  in  your  minds  the  conviction  at  which  we  have  our- 
selves arrived,  if  we  do  not  lead  you  to  conclude  that  more 
than  Charlemagne  did  for  Europe,  or  Alfred  for  England, 
David  accomplished  for  the  tribes  of  Israel. 


246  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

We  shall  commence  our  review  by  setting  before  you  the 
military  organization  of  the  country.  This  may  be  divided 
into  three  branches :  first,  the  regular  standing  army ;  sec- 
ond, the  king's  own  body-guard ;  and,  third,  the  order  of  mil- 
itary knighthood,  if  so  we  may  call  it,  which  he  established 
at  his  court.  As  regards  the  regular  army,  we  find  that  there 
were  in  the  land  two  hundred  and  eighty -eight  thousand 
men  enrolled  as  soldiers.  These  unitedly  composed  what 
was  called  the  host.  Now  there  were  two  evils  to  be  guarded 
against  in  reference  to  this  large  body  of  troops.  On  the 
one  hand,  the  maintenance  of  an  army  of  such  magnitude,  if 
it  had  been  kept  constantly  under  arms,  would  have  serious- 
ly drained  the  resources  of  the  country,  both  by  the  positive 
expense  which  would  have  been  incurred  in  supporting  it, 
and  by  the  withdrawal  of  so  many  able-bodied  men  from 
those  agricultural  pursuits,  on  the  fruits  of  which  the  people 
mainly  depended.  On  the  other  hand,  if  all  these  soldiers 
had  been  called  out  at  one  time,  and  brought  to  one  central 
place  for  drill,  the  outlying  boundaries  of  the  land  would 
have  been  left,  for  the  mean  while,  undefended.  But  both 
of  these  dangers  were  obviated  by  the  plan  which  David 
adopted,  and  of  which  a  minute  account  is  given  in  i  Chron- 
icles xxvii.,  where  we  have  a  register  of "  the  children  of  Is- 
rael after  their  number — to  wit,  the  chief  fathers  and  captains 
of  thousands  and  hundreds,  and.  their  officers  that  served 
the  king  in  any  matter  of  the  courses,  which  came  in  and 
went  out  month  by  month  throughout  all  the  months  of  the 
year,  of  every  course  were  twenty-and-four  thousand."  From 
this  account  it  appears  that  the  army  was  divided  into  twelve 
portions,  each  of  which  had  its  own  month  of  service.  Over 
each  of  those  divisions,  as  we  may  call  them,  there  was  one 
general  officer,  under  whom  were  captains  of  thousands, 
whose  bands,  again,  were  subdivided  into  hundreds,  each  of 
which  was  led  by  an  officer,  corresponding  somewhat  to  the 


DAVID'S  ADMINISTRATION.  247 

\  Roman  centurion  of  after  days.  Over  the  host  as  command- 
\  er-in-chief  was  Joab,  the  son  of  Zeruiah. 

In  addition  to  this  national  army,  there  was  the  king's 
jbody-guard,  generally  supposed  to  be  identical  with  those 
pho  in  2  Samuel  viii.,  18,  are  styled  the  Cherethites  and  the 
Pelethites.  Dean  Stanley  and  others  are  of  opinion  that 
those  who  composed  this  royal  brigade  (equivalent  almost 
to  what,  in  Great  Britain,  are  denominated  the  household 
troops),  were  mostly  foreigners ;  and  they  remind  us  of  the 
analogous  instances  of  the  Swiss  Guard,  who  stood  so  true 
to  Louis  XVI.  at  the  French  Revolution,  and  the  guard  of 
honor  of  the  Pope  at  the  present  day.  But  there  does  not 
appear  to  me  to  be  sufficient  reason  for  adopting  such  a 
view,  since  the  commander-in-chief  of  these  troops  was  Be- 
naiah,  the  son  of  Jehoiada,  of  the  family  of  the  priests ;  and 
so  far  as  we  can  discover  from  the  record,  David,  at  this  time 
at  least,  and  up  to  the  era  of  his  great  transgression,  was  se- 
cure in  the  affection  and  confidence  of  his  subjects,  and  did 
not  need  the  adventitious  and,  to  his  people,  almost  insult- 
ing aid  of  strangers. 

Besides  these  two  kinds  of  forces,  and  as  furnishing  a  re- 
ward of  honor  for  those  who  had  distinguished  themselves 
in  any  signal  manner,  David  appears  to  have  founded  a  mil- 
itary order  analogous  to  that  of  knighthood  in  more  recent 
times.  The  members  of  this  body  are  called  "  worthies,"  or 
"  mighty  men,"  and  a  list  of  them,  together  with  a  rehearsal 
of  some  of  their  most  illustrious  deeds,  is  given  in^z  Samuel 
xxiii.,  and  i  Chronicles  xi.  Stanley,  following  in  this  in- 
stance the  German  author  Ewald,  attributes  the  special  form 
which  this  order  took,  to  the  circumstances  of  David,  when 
he  was  in  the  cave  of  Adullam.  He  says  that,  as  there  were 
six  hundred  men  in  the  hold,  that  number  was  preserved  as 
the  limit  to  which  the  order  was  restricted.  It  became  sub- 
divided into  three  large  bands  of  two  hundred  each,  and  thir- 


248  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ty  small  bands  of  twenty  each.  The  small  bands  were  com- 
manded by  thirty  officers,  one  for  each  band,  and  these  offi- 
cers formed  the  thirty  worthies,  or  mighty  men ;  and  the 
three  large  bands  were  commanded  by  three  officers,  who 
together  formed  the  three ;  while  the  whole  were  under  one 
chief,  the  captain  of  the  mighty  men.  This  reckoning,  how- 
ever, gives  only  thirty-four  as  the  total  of  the  worthies,  where- 
as in  2  Samuel  xxiii.  the  aggregate  number  is  thirty-seven. 
Moreover,  there  seems  to  be  a  distinction  in  the  same  chap- 
ter between  the  first  three  and  another  three,  who,  while 
very  honorable,  had  not  attained  to  the  valor  of  the  first ; 
and  for  this  distinction  the  subdivision  of  Stanley  fails  to 
find  a  place.  Perhaps,  therefore,  assuming  the  basis  of  six 
hundred  to  be  correct,  we  may  modify  Ewald's  arrangement 
thus,  so  as  to  bring  it  into  harmony  with  the  number  thirty- 
seven.  The  six  hundred,  we  may  suppose,  were  divided  into 
six  bands  of  one  hundred,  as  well  as  into  twenty  of  thirty 
each.  Over  the  senior  portion  of  the  band,  amounting  to 
three  companies  of  one  hundred  each,  there  were  the  first 
three ;  over  the  junior  portion  of  the  band,  composed  of  oth- 
er three  companies  of  one  hundred  each,  were  the  second 
three ;  and  then,  over  all,  there  was  the  captain  of  the  might- 
ies,  who  was  Jashobeam,  the  Hachmonite.  The  captain  of 
each  band  formed  one  of  the  band,  and  must  be  reckoned 
with  it  in  making  up  the  numbers. 

The  deeds  of  the  worthies,  specified  in  the  chapters  to 
which  I  have  been  referring,  are  mostly  such  as  in  a  rude 
and  barbarous  age  are  rewarded  by  badges  of  distinction ; 
and  those  who  sneer  at  the  record  of  them  here  must  bear 
in  mind  that  even  in  this  boasted  age,  and  in  countries  which 
claim  to  be  enlightened,  the  honors  of  knighthood  and  the 
peerage  are  frequently  bestowed  upon  no  higher  grounds. 
The  day  has  not  yet  fully  arrived  for  the  recognition  of  the 
nobility  of  holiness  and  love.  True,  in  these  latter  years  we 


DAVID'S  ADMINISTRATION.  249 

may  have  made  some  advancement  toward  it,  but  it  is  as  yet 
in  Messiah's  kingdom  alone  that  distinction  is  conferred  for 
works  of  faith,  and  holiness,  and  love.  This  is  the  grand 
foundation-difference  between  the  typical  kingdom  of  David 
and  that  of  Christ,  which  is  its  antetype ;  and  we  must  never 
allow  ourselves  to  lose  sight  of  it  while  we  are  considering 
either  the  one  or  the  other.  David's  kingdom  was  founded 
and  maintained  by  military  power,  and  it  was  fitting,  therefore. 


jhat  its  honors  should  be  bestowed  on  martial  heroes  for 
daring  deeds  upon  the  field  of  battle.  Christ's  kingdom  is 
founded  on  righteousness  and  love,  and  to  those  who  cry  to 
him  for  honor  he  makes  this  reply,  pointing  to  Gethsemane 
and  Calvary  the  while :  "Are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the  cup 
that  I  shall  drink  of,  and  to  be  baptized  with  the  baptism 
that  I  am  baptized  with  ?"  But  of  this  more  anon. 

We  pass  now  to  the  civil  administration  of  the  son  of 
Jesse  ;  and  here  it  will  Appear  that  Jie  exerted  himself  rnqst 
earnestly  toimrjirove_the  ^courts  of  justice,  the  educational 
institutions, Tthe  domestic  comfort,  and  the  commercial  pros- 
perity of  the  country.  He  gave  new  vitality  to  the  old  tribal 
arrangements ;  for  (as  we  learn  from  i  Chronicles  xxvii.), 
he  set  thirteen  princes  over  as  many  different  districts. 
What  the  judicial  functions  of  these  princes  exactly  were 
does  not  appear,  but  probably  they  corresponded  very  near- 
ly to  those  of  the  lord  lieutenants  of  counties  in  Great  Brit- 
ain, with  this  difference,  that  they  belonged,  ex  qfficio,  to  the 
general  council  or  senate  of  the  nation,  which  was  summon- 
ed on  all  occasions  of  emergency  or  importance.  Thus, 
when  David  formally  handed  over  the  crown  to  Solomon, 
we  read  (i  Chronicles  xxviii.,  i)  that  he  assembled  all  the 
princes  of  Israel.  Over  and  above  these  princes,  he  distrib- 
uted (i  Chronicles  xxiii.,  4)  six  thousand  Levites  over  the 
land  as  officers  and  judges.  Of  these  nearly  one-half  were 
settled  among  the  tribes  east  of  the  Jordan,  perhaps  because, 


250  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

from  their  distance  from  the  seat  of  government,  these  tribes 
were  more  in  need  of  superintendence  than  the  rest.  They 
were  sent  out,  as  we  read,  "for  every  matter  pertaining  to 
God  and  the  king ;"  but  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  suppose 
that  they  had  to  do  merely  with  judicial  trials.  The  Le- 
vites  generally  were  the  health  officers  of  the  nation.  They 
would,  therefore,  look  after  all  sanitary  arrangements,  and 
take  order  that  the  minute  injunctions  of  the  Mosaic  law  in 
this  department  were  fully  obeyed.  They  had  to  do,  also, 
with  the  healing  art,  and  formed,  in  fact,  a  medical  board 
over  the  land  ;  while  again,  if  we  bear  in  mind  that  the  peo- 
ple were  by  them  to  be  made  acquainted  with  the  law  of 
their  God,  and  that  their  sacred  books  were  well-nigh  the 
only  books  at  that  time  in  existence  among  them,  we  may 
not  be  far  wrong  in  regarding  these  Levites,  or  a  portion  of 
them,  as  set  over  the  education  of  the  community,  and  re- 
sponsible for  the  department  of  public  instruction.  In  any 
case,  I  think  there  is  good  warrant  for  the  assertion  of  Dr. 
Blaikie,  when  he  says  that  "infinitely  more  was  done  for  the 
education  and  enlightenment  of  the  people  than  was  ever 
attempted  or  dreamed  of  in  any  Eastern  country.  It  is  no- 
'  where  said  whether  Samuel's  schools  received  a  special  share 
of  attention ;  but  the  deep  interest  David  must  have  taken 
in  Samuel's  plans,  and  his  early  acquaintance  with  their 
blessed  effects,  leave  little  room  to  doubt  that  these  institu- 
tions were  carefully  fostered,  and  owed  to  David  a  share  of 
that  vitality  which  they  continued  to  exhibit  in  the  days  of 
Elijah  and  Elisha."*  In  addition  to  what  this  writer  has  ad- 
vanced, I  would  remark  that  the  pre-eminence  attained  by 
Solomon  in  all  the  branches  of  education  is,  to  my  mind,  an 
evidence  of  the  advanced  condition  of  the  nation  generally 


*  Blaikie's  "David,  King  of  Israel :  the  Divine  Plan,  and  Lessons  of 
his  Life,"  p.  201. 


DAVID'S  ADMINISTRATION.  251 

in  this  department ;  since,  unless  a  good  foundation  of  ele- 
mentary knowledge  had  been  imparted  to  the  youth  of  the 
land  as  a  whole,  it  is  hardly  possible  to  account  for  the  ap- 
pearance of  such  a  man  as  Solomon  in  that  age.  No  doubt 
he  was  endowed  with  preternatural  wisdom.  But  this,  as 
is  usual  in  the  economy  of  Providence,  would  be  ingrafted 
upon  a  high  degree  of  ordinary  culture ;  and  the  question 
forces  itself  upon  the  historical  student,  Who  were  his  tu- 
tors, and  who  taught  them  ?  You  do  not  find  the  loftiest 
mountains  rising  isolatedly  from  the  centre  of  some  great 
plain.  The  highest  summits  are  never  solitary  peaks.  They 
belong  usually  to  some  great  chain,  and  are  merely  the  loft- 
iest elevations  in  a  country,  the  general  character  of  which 
is  mountainous ;  and  in  the  same  way  the  greatest  scholars 
appear,  not  among  an  ignorant  people,  but  among  those  who 
have  a  high  average  of  education,  and  in  countries  where  a 
good  substratum  of  instruction  is  enjoyed  even  by  the  com- 
mon average  of  the  community.  The  historian,  Froude,  has 
put  this  thought  admirably  when  he  says,  "  No  great  general 
ever  arose  out  of  a  nation  of  cowards ;  no  great  statesman 
or  philosopher  out  of  a  nation  of  fools ;  no  great  artist  out 
of  a  nation  of  materialists  ;  no  great  dramatist,  except  when 
the  drama  was  the  passion  of  the  people.  Greatness  is  nev- 
er more  than  the  highest  degree  of  an  excellence  which  pre- 
vails widely  round  it,  and  forms  the  environment  in  which  it 
grows."*  Now,  if  these  views  be  correct,  the  rise  of  Solo- 
mon, who  was  so  conspicuous  for  his  intellectual  culture  and 
scientific  attainments,  may  be  regarded  as  a  proof  that  in  the 
reign  of  David,  and  more  particularly,  perhaps,  in  the  zenith 
of  his  administration,  education  was  extensively  diffused,  and 
earnestly  fostered  by  him  among  the  tribes. 

But  David  did  much,  also,  to  promote  the  domestic  com- 

*  "  History  of  England,"  vol.  i.,  p.  74. 


252  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

fort  of  the  people.  It  was  said  of  Augustus  that  he  found 
Rome  brick,  and  that  he  left  it  marble ;  and  a  similar  testi- 
mony as  to  Paris  was  borne  to  the  late  Emperor  of  the 
French,  by  all  who  knew  that  capital  as  it  was  before  he  so 
transformed  and  beautified  it.  Something  of  the  same  kind 
has  to  be  said  also  of  David.  Up  till  his  time,  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Canaan  dwelt  in  places  which  might  perhaps  be  bet- 
ter called  huts  than  houses.  But  when  he  took  possession 
of  Jerusalem,  he  not  only  strengthened  its  fortifications,  but 
he  also  built  the  city  of  David,  and,  conspicuous  therein,  a 
stately  palace  for  himself;  nay,  he  introduced  from  Tyre  arti- 
ficers in  wood,  and  brass,  and  stone,  and  so  adorned  his  capi- 
tal that  men  could  sing  concerning  it,  "  Beautiful  for  situa- 
tion, the  joy  of  the  whole  earth,  is  mount  Zion,  on  the  sides 
of  the  north,  the  city  of  the  great  King."  "  Walk  about  Zion, 
and  go  round  about  her :  tell  the  towers  thereof.  Mark  ye 
well  her  bulwarks,  consider  her  palaces ;  that  ye  may  tell  it 
to  the  generation  following." 

But  besides  the  influence  of  all  this  on  domestic  architec- 
ture, not  in  Jerusalem  alone,  but  over  the  whole  country,  the 
prosecution  of  such  labors  tended  largely  to  develop  com- 
merce. The  land  over  which  he  ruled  was  principally  pas- 
toral and  agricultural.  It  produced  more  food  than  the  pop- 
ulation needed.  But  by  the  introduction  of  builders  from 
Tyre,  and  the  importation  of  timber  from  Lebanon,  there  was 
furnished  an  outlet  for  their  superfluous  provisions,  while  the 
general  comfort  of  the  people  was  advanced.  This  kind  of 
trade  prepared  the  way  for  the  farther  development  of  com- 
merce under  Solomon,  whose  ships  went  to  India,  and,  as 
there  is  reason  to  believe,  also  to  China ;  while  it  knit  the 
Hirams  and  their  successors  in  close  alliance  to  David  and 
his  sons,  and  inaugurated  an  interchange  of  commercial  com- 
modities between  Jerusalem  and  Tyre,  which  we  find  in  ex- 
istence even  in  the  days  of  the  Christian  apostles.*  Then 
*  See  Acts  xii.,  20. 


DAVID'S  ADMINISTRATION.  253 

again,  on  the  principle  of  letting  nothing  be  lost,  David 
seems  to  have  put  the  waste  lands  under  extensive  culti- 
vation. He  had,  as  we  learn  from  i  Chronicles  xxvii.,  25, 
"storehouses  in  the  fields,  in  the  cities,  and  in  the  villages, 
and  in  the  castles ;"  he  had  a  regular  staff  of  men  who 
did  "  the  work  of  the  field  for  the  tillage  of  the  ground." 
He  had  superintendents  over  the  vineyards  and  wine- 
cellars,  and  over  the  olive  and  sycamore  trees,  together 
with  the  oil  which  they  produced.  There  were  men  over 
the  herds  in  Sharon  and  in  the  valleys  of  Shaphat,  as  well 
as  over  the. camels  and  asses.  Thus,  as  Blaikie  has  re- 
marked, "  Many  a  hill,  under  his  able  management,  would 
become  encircled  with  vine -clad  terraces,  and  many  a 
plain  formerly  abandoned  to  sterility  would  rejoice  and 
blossom  as  the  rose.  The  king's  example,  too,  spreading 
to  smaller  proprietors,  now  blessed  with  peace  and  freedom, 
would  effect  a  revolution  in  the  agriculture  of  the  land."* 
Hence  the  military  glory  of  David's  life  was  not  its  highest 
distinction,  and  we  may  warrantably  enough  regard  him  as 
the  inaugurator  of  an  internal  civil  administration  which, 
for  thoroughness  and  efficiency,  surpassed  every  thing  which 
up  to  his  day  any  country  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  with  the 
single  exception  of  Egypt,  had  enjoyed. 

It  is  time,  however,  that  we  looked  to  the  arrangements 

/which  David  made  in  ecclesiastical  matters ;  but  before  we 
enumerate  them,  we  must  have  a  clear  idea  of  the  position  in 
which  he  stood.  He  was  not  merely  the  king.  He  was,  at 
the  same  time,  a  prophet  as  really  as  either  Gad  or  Nathan ; 
and  as  we  saw,  at  the  great  festival  of  the  bringing  up  of  the 
ark,  he  arrayed  himself  in  the  linen  ephod  of  the  priests,  and 
took  part  in  the  offering  of  sacrifice.  Hence,  while  the  ulti- 
mate reference  of  the  noth  Psalm  is  undeniably  to  the  Mes- 

*  Blaikie's  "  David,  King  of  Israel :  the  Divine  Plan,  and  Lessons  of 
his  Life,"  p.  202. 


254  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

siah,  its  primary  application  may  well  enough  have  been  to 
David,  who  was  in  some  sense  a  second  Melchizeclek  —  a 
priest  among  kings,  and  a  king  among  priests.  It  was,  there- 
fore, by  virtue  of  the  union  of  these  three  offices  in  himself, 
that  he  was  entitled  to  take  upon  him  the  regulation  of  the 
Tabernacle  service,  and  the  setting  in  order  of  those  things 
which  in  the  days  of  Saul  had  been  too  generally  neglected, 
and  allowed  to  fall  into  the  greatest  confusion.  As  we  saw 
before,  the  seat  of  the  Tabernacle  was  at  Nob,  or  perhaps  (as 
an  incidental  allusion  in  i  Chronicles  xvi.,  39,  would  seem  to 
imply)  at  Gibeon ;  but  the  ark,  which  was  the  glory  of  the 
Tabernacle,  was  not  there.  That  had  been  for  a  long  time 
at  Kirjath-jearim  ;  but  David  brought  it  to  Jerusalem,  there- 
by making  that  city  the  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  judicial  cen- 
tre of  the  land.  He  did  not,  however,  suppress  the  services 
at  the  Tabernacle,  but  left  Zadok  to  superintend  them,  con- 
tinuing him  as  co-ordinate  priest  by  the  side  of  Abiathar, 
and  allowing  the  seat  of  the  ancient  Tabernacle  to  sink  by 
degrees  into  the  obscurity  which  ultimately  enveloped  it. 
While,  however,  he  did  not  positively  demolish  the  former 
Tabernacle,  he  devoted  special  attention  to  the  arrangement 
of  the  services  in  the  new  sacred  tent  at  Jerusalem.  These, 
of  course,  had  to  be  performed  by  the  priests  and  Levites. 
The  special  functions  of  the  former  were  to  offer  sacrifices, 
to  burn  incense,  and  to  change  the  shew-bread ;  the  peculiar 
duties  of  the  latter  were  to  perform  the  lower  office  of  attend- 
ing to  the  outward  fabric,  and,  in  general,  to  do  all  that  was 
required  to  make  the  public  worship  of  God  excellent  in  char- 
acter, decorous  in  arrangement,  and  reverent  in  spirit.  But 
the  Levites  had  now  so  increased  in  numbers,  and  there  were 
so  many  belonging  to  the  priestly  family  of  Aaron,  that  it  was 
needful  to  make  some  orderly  division  of  the  work  among 
them. 

In  seeking  to  meet  this  necessity,  David  adopted  a  plan 


DAVID'S  ADMINISTRATION.  255 

similar  to  that  which  he  had  introduced  into  the  army,  and 
arranged  the  priests  into  twenty-four  courses,  giving  to  each 
its  order  by  lot;  and  we  find  that  this  arrangement  contin- 
ued in  the  days  of  Zacharias,  the  father  of  John  the  Baptist. 
"  Each  course  served  a  week  alternately,  under  a  subordinate 
prefect ;  and  in  the  time  of  Zacharias,  at  least,  the  duties  of 
each  individual  seem  to  have  been  determined  by  lot;  but 
all  attended  at  the  great  festivals."*  Of  the  Levites,  who 
numbered  thirty-eight  thousand  men  of  thirty  years  old  and 
upward,  six  thousand  were,  as  we  have  already  seen,  told  off 
as  officers  and  judges,  and  allocated  to  different  districts 
over  the  land ;  twenty-four  thousand  were  appointed  to  set 
forward  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  four  thousand  were  por- 
ters ;  while  the  remaining  four  thousand  were  appointed  to 
praise  the  Lord,  with  the  accompaniment  of  instruments  of 
music.  These,  however,  were  not  all  ordinarily  needed  at 
one  and  the  same  time,  so  he  divided  them  also  into  courses, 
of  which  we  have  a  minute  account  in  i  Chronicles  xxiii. ; 
and  there  also  we  have  the  following  most  interesting  record 
of  his  motive  in  all  this  proceeding  (verses  25-32):  "For 
David  said,  The  Lord  God  of  Israel  hath  given  rest  unto  his 
people,  that  they  may  dwell  in  Jerusalem  forever :  and  also 
unto  the  Levites  :  they  shall  no  more  carry  the  tabernacle, 
nor  any  vessels  of  it  for  the  service  thereof.  For  by  the  last 
words  of  David  the  Levites  were  numbered  from  twenty 
years  old  and  above :  because  their  office  was  to  wait  on  the 
sons  of  Aaron  for  the  service  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  in 
the  courts,  and  in  the  chambers,  and  in  the  purifying  of  all 
holy  things,  and  the  work  of  the  service  of  the  house  of  God  ; 
both  for  the  shew-bread,  and  for  the  fine  flour  for  meat-of- 
fering, and  for  the  unleavened  cakes,  and  for  that  which  is 
baked  in  the  pan,  and  for  that  which  is  fried,  and  for  all 

*  Kitto's  "  Cyclopaedia,"  article  PRIEST. 


256  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

manner  of  measure  and  size ;  and  to  stand  every  morning  to 
thank  and  praise  the  Lord,  and  likewise  at  even ;  and  to 
offer  all  burnt-sacrifices  unto  the  Lord  in  the  sabbaths,  in 
the  new  moons,  and  on  the  set  feasts,  by  number,  according 
to  the  order  commanded  unto  them,  continually  before  the 
Lord  :  and  that  they  should  keep  the  charge  of  the  taberna- 
cle of  the  congregation,  and  the  charge  of  the  holy  place, 
and  the  charge  of  the  sons  of  Aaron  their  brethren,  in  the 
service  of  the  house  of  the  Lord." 

The  arrangements  for  the  musical  part  of  the  service 
were  particularly  elaborate,  and  the  twenty-fifth  chapter  of 
i  Chronicles  is  devoted  to  their  enumeration.  The  prime 
leaders — the  first  three — were  Asaph,  Heman,  and  Jeduthun ; 
and  under  these — each  superintended  by  a  son  of  one  or  oth- 
er of  them,  as  the  lot  appointed — were  twenty-four  bands  of 
twelve  each,  who  are  described  as  "  instructed  in  the  songs 
of  the  Lord,  and  cunning  in  them."  Nay,  more,  there  were, 
besides  these,  three  daughters  of  Heman,  who,  like  their 
brothers,  were  skilled  in  the  psaltery,  the  cymbal,  and  the 
harp.  Under  these  twenty-four  bands  of  twelve  each,  were 
arranged  twenty- four  courses,  taken  by  lot  from  the  four 
thousand.  Thus,  as  a  regular  thing,  only  a  twenty -fourth 
part  of  these  musicians  would  be  about  the  Tabernacle  serv- 
ice at  one  time ;  but  as  they  all  came  in  alternate  courses, 
the  efficiency  of  each  course  would  be  maintained ;  so  that  on 
great  occasions — as,  for  example,  at  the  annual  national  fes- 
tivals— when  they  were  all  engaged,  the  effect  produced  must 
have  been  at  once  most  artistic  and  overpowering. 

Two  things,  however,  have  to  be  borne  in  mind  about 
these  musical  services.  The  first  is  that  they  were  perform- 
ed in  the  open  air.  The  court  of  the  Tabernacle,  as  after- 
ward of  the  Temple,  had  no  covering  overhead.  Hence  the 
high  service  of  a  Jewish  festival-day  would  resemble  nothing 
so  much  as  an  oratorio  in  the  open  air,  when  the  mingled 


DAVID'S  ADMINISTRATION.  257 

* 

harmony  of  human  voices  and  instruments  of  music  must 
have  rilled  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  and  floated,  in  sub- 
dued and  solemn  tones,  over  the  slopes  of  Olivet.  The  sec- 
ond thing  about  these  services  is,  that  only  the  Levites  were 
authorized  to  take  part  in  them.  Praise,  as  I  have  formerly 
remarked,  was  regarded  as  a  sacrifice  to  God,  just  as  really 
as  the  meat-offering  and  drink-offering,  and  only  those  who 
belonged  to  the  holy  tribe  of  Levi  were  competent  to  offer 
it.  They  presented  it  in  the  stead  of  the  people,  and  as 
their  consecrated  representatives.  Now  this  vicarious  char- 
acter of  the  Tabernacle  praise  is  that  which  has  been  done 
away  in  the  Gospel  Church  ;  for,  through  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ,  we  are  all  priests  and  Levites,  consecrated,  by  the 
anointing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  for  the  offering  of  spiritual  sac- 
rifices. Hence,  says  Peter,  "  Ye  are  a  royal  priesthood,  a 
holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people,  that  ye  should  show  forth  the 
praises  of  Him,  who  hath  called  you  out  of  darkness  into  his 
marvelous  light ;"  and  to  the  same  effect  the  author  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  has  said,  "  By  him,  therefore,  let  us 
offer  the  sacrifice  of  praise  to  God  continually,  that  is,  the  fruit 
of  our  lips,  giving  thanks  to  his  name."  The  little  child  may 
join  in  the  hymn  now,  as  well  as  the  trained  singer,  provided 
only  he  have  a  loving  and  believing  heart,  and  there  is  no 
restriction  of  any  part  of  worship  in  the  Church  of  Christ  to 
any  order  or  class  of  men  in  it.  But  if  while  praise  was  thus 
vicarious,  it  was  deemed  of  so  much  importance,  and  so  much 
attention  was  devoted  to  the  attainment  of  excellence  in  it, 
ought  we  to  allow  it  to  sink  into  a  subordinate  position,  now 
that  it  is  the  common  privilege  of  all  believers  ?  Why  should 
not  all  our  Christian  congregations  become  as  skillful  in  the 
rendering  of  "  the  songs  of  the  Lord  "  as  these  four  thou- 
sand Levites  were  ?  Nay,  may  not  every  congregation  be 
instructed  by  the  method  of  organization  which  David  here 
inaugurated  ?  What  is  to  hinder  us,  for  example,  from  di- 


258  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

i. 

viding  ourselves  as  a  cliurch  into  twelve,  or,  say,  twenty-four 
musical  courses,  under  appropriate  leaders,  each  course  in 
rotation  being  responsible  for  the  leading  of  psalmody  for  a 
certain  time,  and  all  maintaining  a  constant  aggregate  week- 
ly practice,  so  that  on  the  Lord's  Day,  as  we  gather  together 
here,  we  shall  be  just  one  well-trained  and  thoroughly  organ- 
ized choir,  raising  such  a  chorus  of  jubilant  praise  as  shall 
be,  in  some  degree,  worthy  of  the  priceless  blessings  for 
which  we  give  God  thanks  ?  What  is  to  hinder  this  ?  again 
I  ask.  We  want,  in  the  first  place,  some  organizing  David, 
who  shall  consecrate  himself  to  this  work  as  thoroughly  as 
the  King  of  Israel  did  of  old.  But  we  want  even  more  than 
that,  the  spirit  of  Levitical  consecration  in  the  heart  of  every 
worshiper.  Ah !  if  we  but  remembered  that,  as  Christians, 
we  are  anointed  by  God's  Spirit  for  his  peculiar-  service,  and 
if  we  did  only  faintly  realize  that  the  praise  of  the  sanctuary 
was  a  portion  of  that  service  to  which  we  have  been  thus  set 
apart,  we  should  be  more  willing  to  give  the  time  and  atten- 
tion which  are  needful  to  qualify  ourselves  for  it.  We  have 
fallen  into  the  grievous  mistake  of  supposing  that  the  music 
of  the  sanctuary  is  for  human  ears,  more  than  for  the  ear  of 
God ;  and  in  seeking  to  please  men  by  it,  we  have  allowed 
devotion  almost  to  disappear  from  it.  Nay,  we  have  thereby 
come  even  to  displease  men  by  it ;  for  it  is  here,  as  in  so 
many  other  things,  they  who  seek  human  appreciation  and 
applause  as  the  main  end  invariably,  in  the  long  run,  lose 
that  which  they  so  desired ;  while  they,  who  think  mainly 
and  especially  of  doing  honor  to  God,  do  at  the  last  receive 
also  the  respect  of  men.  When,  in  our  praise,  we  can  merge 
all  thought  of  self  in  the  eager,  earnest  effort  to  please  God  ; 
when,  feeling  that  we  are  singing  to  God,  we  try  to  give  him 
of  our  best ;  then,  also,  the  ears  of  men  will  be  turned  to- 
ward us,  and  the  hymns  of  the  service  will,  because  they  are 
the  sincere  expression  of  our  hearts,  produce  the  most  salu- 


DAVID'S  ADMINISTRATION.  259 

tary  impressions  on  those  who  hear  them,  and  will  be  as 
much  a  means  of  edification  and  conversion  as  the  prayers 
or  the  discourse.  The  life  of  the  good  man,  who  is  thinking 
only  of  serving  God,  has  often  been  the  means  of  converting 
a  soul ;  and  the  song  of  a  devout  Christian,  who  has  been 
singing  only  to  give  expression  to  his  own  feelings,  has  not 
unfrequently  carried  the  truth  to  the  soul  of  him  who  heard 
it.  When,  therefore,  we  have  such  singing  in  our  churches, 
we  shall  hear  people  say,  "  I  was  converted  by  the  singing 
of  such  and  such  a  hymn,"  just  as  often  as  we  shall  have 
them  saying, "  I  was  awakened  by  such  and  such  a  sermon ;" 
for,  as  the  holy  Herbert  has  said, 

"A  verse  may  find  him  who  a  sermon  flies, 
And  turn  delight  into  a  sacrifice." 

I  have  dwelt  more  largely  on  David's  administration,  mili- 
tary, civil,  and  ecclesiastical,  than  may  appear  to  you  to  have 
been  either  necessary  or  profitable ;  but  my  apology  must  be, 
that  I  wished  in  a  single  discourse  to  dispose  of  the  whole 
matter,  so  that  we  may  not  require  to  turn  aside  from  other  and 
more  important  things  to  refer  to  it  again.  For  the  same 
reason,  let  me  in  one  sentence  epitomize  the  victories  of  Da- 
vid as  they  are  referred  to  in  the  eighth  chapter  of  2  Samuel. 
They  were  over  the  Philistines,  over  the  Moabites,  over  the 
King  of  Zobah,  in  the  direction  of  the  river  Euphrates,  a  cam- 
paign in  which  he  encountered  the  Syrians,  and  took  and 
garrisoned  Damascus.  He  likewise  grappled  with  and  over- 
came the  Ammonites,  because  of  a  deliberate  insult  which 
they  offered  to  his  ambassadors,  whom  he  sent  on  a  visit  of 
condolence  to  the  king  after  the  death  of  his  father.  He 
also  overcame  the  Amalekites,  and  took  and  garrisoned  Edom. 
To  the  war  with  the  Ammonites  we  shall  have  occasion  to 
refer  again,  when  we  treat  of  the  darkest  spot  in  David's 
history  ;  meanwhile  let  it  be  noted  that  the  6oth  Psalm 


260  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

was  probably  written  during  the  war  with  Edom,  when  some 
reverse  had  been  sustained  ;  and  perhaps  we  do  not  err  if  we 
date  the  aoth  Psalm  at  this  warlike  era  of  David's  life.  By 
these  victories  he  greatly  extended  the  boundaries  of  the 
land,  while  in  Jerusalem  he  strengthened  himself  by  gather- 
ing around  him,  as  the  members  of  his  cabinet,  the  wisest  and 
most  eminent  men  of  the  nation. 

I  close  with  two  practical  considerations  suggested  by  this 
whole  subject. 

Let  us  see  here  the  intimate  connection  between  religion, 
and  the  intellectual  enlightenment  and  social  prosperity  of  a 
nation.  David  was  a  man  of  God,  eagerly  anxious  in  all 
things  to  know  the  Divine  will  and  do  it.  He  regarded  his 
position  on  the  throne  as  a  trust  which  had  been  given  to  him, 
for  the  welfare  of  his  people  and  for  the  glory  of  Jehovah ; 
and  the  result  of  his  conscientious  endeavors  to  act  up  to 
his  responsibilities  was  that  educational,  social,  and  religious 
regeneration  which  to-night  we  have  been  considering.  But 
this  is  no  solitary  instance.  Similar  results  followed  the  re- 
ligious earnestness  of  Hezekiah  and  Josiah,  in  Old  Testa- 
ment ages ;  and  in  modern  times,  the  nations  which  have 
been  blessed  with  Christian  rulers  have  ever  led  the  van  in  all 
the  nobler  characteristics  of  civilization  and  prosperity.  When 
an  African  prince  sent  a  courteous  message  to  the  Queen  of 
England,  asking, "  What  is  the  secret  of  England's  great- 
ness ?"  she  sent  him  a  copy  of  the  sacred  Scriptures,  with  the 
reply,  "This  is  the  secret  of  England's  greatness."  And  if 
one  should  put  a  similar  question  in  regard  to  this  great  re- 
public, he  might  be  correctly  answered  in  a  similar  manner ; 
for  the  character  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  which  was  made  by 
their  faith  in  the  Bible,  and  their  devotion  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  has  stamped  itself  indelibly  on  this  Western  land ;  yea, 
as  it  seems  to  me,  in  spite  of  certain  recent  occurrences,  it  is 
to-day  more  conspicuous  in  the  regulation  of  national  affairs 


DAVID'S  ADMINISTRATION.  261 

than  ever.  But  much  yet  remains  to  be  accomplished ;  and 
if  we  would  have  a  prosperity  worthy  of  the  name,  it  must,  as 
in  the  case  of  Israel  under  David,  be  rooted  in  religion.  It 
may  seem  strange,  indeed,  that  in  a  republic  I  should  seek 
to  enforce  this  lesson  from  the  character  of  a  king  in  a  mon- 
archy ;  but  when  you  regard  it  rightly,  the  practical  point  of 
my  remarks  will  only  become  the  more  sharp  and  incisive, 
for  here  the  sovereign  is  the  people ;  and  so  their  charac- 
ter is  even  more  intimately  related  to  the  country's  prosperity 
than  is  that  of  a  king  in  a  monarchy.  They  give  the  tone  to 
their  representatives ;  and  as  water  can  not  rise  above  its 
level,  so  the  morality  and  patriotism  of  the  members  of  our 
Legislatures  and  Congress  will  not  be  above  that  of  the  peo- 
ple who  elect  them.  If  we  wish  to  purge  away  all  remaining 
corruptions,  and  to  take  a  place  among  the  nations  which 
shall  be  at  once  pure  and  permanent,  we  must  seek  to  bring 
the  sovereign  people  under  the  influence  of  the  religion  of 
Jesus.  This  is  the  salt  which  will  at  once  purify  and  pre- 
serve the  State.  Hence,  while  utterly  repudiating  all  sympa- 
thy with  what  is  called  a  national  establishment  of  religion, 
we  ought  as  patriots,  no  less  than  as  Christians,  to  seek  to 
have  the  people  thoroughly  Christianized.  The  Gospel  is 
the  grand  reformer.  The  home  missionary  on  our  frontier, 
the  city  missionary  in  our  streets  and  lanes,  the  humble 
Christian  worker  in  all  departments  of  benevolent  activity, 
will  do  more,  in  the  long  run,  to  purify  our  legislatures  than 
any  number  of  political  agitators ;  for  while  the  latter  are 
seeking  merely  to  destroy  evils,  the  former  are  laboring  to 
form  character,  as  that  alone  can  be  formed  to  holiness  and 
integrity,  by  trust  in  God  and  obedience  to  Jesus  Christ.  No 
nation,  monarchical  or  republican,  has  ever  stood,  unless  it 
has  been  founded  on  the  moral  excellence  of  the  people. 
The  Roman  republic  became  an  easy  prey  to  the  ambitious 
grasp  of  Caesar,  when  the  virtues  of  its  ancient  worthies  gave 


262  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

place  to  luxury,  lasciviousness,  and  dishonesty ;  and  the  re- 
peated failures  of  France  in  modern  times  to  rise  to  the  re- 
sponsibility of  self-government  have  been  due  to  the  absence 
among  the  people  of  those  solid  qualities  which  religion  fos- 
ters, and  the  presence  in  the  midst  of  them  of  every  vilest  sort 
of  abomination.  Let  us  be  instructed  by  such  melancholy 
instances,  and  improve  the  opportunity  which  God' has  given 
us,  by  seeking  to  form  the  character  of  the  people  on  the 
basis  of  the  Word  of  God.  No  law  upon  the  statute-book, 
no  formal  insertion  of  the  name  of  Deity  in  the  Constitution, 
will  make  a  nation  Christian ;  nothing  can  do  that  but  the 
Christianity  of  the  people  themselves  ;  and  every  man  who  is 
laboring  to  make  the  masses  Christian  is  in  the  highest  and 
the  purest  sense  a  patriot.  Let  each  citizen-king  be  ani- 
mated with  the  public-spiritedness  and  deep  religious  fervor 
which  the  Gospel  produces  ;  and  then  "  all  nations  shall  call 
us  blessed,  for  we  shall  be  a  delightsome  land." 

Finally:  let  us  take  note  of  the  principle  on  which  the 
honors  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  are  distributed,  as  distin- 
guished from  that  on  which  David  proceeded,  in  the  found- 
ing of  his  order  of  merit.  The  men  whom  he  exalted  were 
warriors,  who  had  done  daring  deeds  upon  the  field  of  bat- 
tle. Of  one  it  is  told  that  "  he  slew  eight  hundred  at  one 
time ;"  of  another  it  is  said  that  "  he  smote  the  Philistines 
until  his  hand  was  weary,  and  clave  unto  his  sword  ;"  of  an- 
other, that "  he  lifted  up  his  spear  against  three  hundred,  and 
slew  them."  Nor  would  I  seek  to  disparage  such  deeds ; 
for  when  war  becomes  a  necessity,  as  it  sometimes  does, 
every  man's  heart  glows  with  admiration  of  such  dauntless 
courage.  But  there  is  a  nobler  heroism  even  than  that — the 
heroism  of  love  ;  and  this  it  is  that  Jesus  evermore  delights 
to  honor.  To  "drink  of  his  cup,"  and  to  be  "baptized  with  his 
baptism,"  is  the  road  to  this  renown,  and  it  is  to  be  won,  not 
by  destroying  men's  lives,  but  by  saving  them,  if  need  be, 


DAVID'S  ADMINISTRATION.  263 

even  by  the  sacrifice  of  our  own.  The  field  on  which  this 
heroism  is  to  be  shown  is  that  of  daily  life,  and  the  insignia 
of  this  knighthood — not  withering  and  perishable  like  those 
of  earth,  but  enduring  as  immortality  itself — may  be  gained 
even  by  the  lowliest  follower  of  the  Lamb.  He  who  in  his 
own  character  shall  approximate  the  nearest  to  the  Lord, 
he  who,  in  his  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  the  salvation  of 
men,  shall  come  the  closest  to  the  death  of  Christ  upon  the 
cross,  shall  be  the  greatest ;  while  the  humble  believer  who 
gives  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  a  disciple  in  the  name  of  a  dis- 
ciple shall  in  no  wise  be  forgotten.  This  is  the  law  of  the 
kingdom,  as  sanctioned  and  illustrated  by  the  example  of 
the  King  himself. 

"  For  He  before  whose  sceptre 

The  nations  rise  or  fall, 
Who  gives  no  least  commandment 

But  come  to  pass  it  shall, 
Said  that  he  who  would  be  greatest 

Should  be  servant  unto  all. 

"  And  in  conflict  with  the  evils 

Which  his  bright  creation  mars, 

Laid  he  not  aside  the  sceptre 
Which  can  reach  to  all  the  stars  ? 

Of  the  service  which  he  rendered — 
See  on  his  hand  the  scars  !" 

Forth,  then,  my  hearers,  and  seek  this  deathless  honor. 
You  may  find  opportunities  of  winning  it,  at  every  corner  of 
the  streets,  in  every  home,  in  any  place.  Lift  up  the  fallen  ; 
comfort  the  mourner ;  relieve  the  destitute ;  remember  the 
forgotten ;  nurse  the  sick ;  wipe  the  death-damp  from  the 
brow  of  the  sufferer  in  his  last  agony ;  tell  the  ignorant  of 
Jesus,  and  sacrifice  yourself,  if  need  be,  for  the  good  of  oth- 
ers. So  shall  you  win  a  place  in  the  peerage  of  the  skies, 
and  obtain  honorable  mention  among  the  worthies  of  the  ce- 
lestial kingdom. 


XV. 

THE  GREAT  TRANSGRESSION. 

2  SAMUEL  xi.,  27. 

NOT  without  the  deepest  reluctance  do  I  compel  my- 
self to-night  to  make  public  allusion  to  the  great  blem- 
ish of  David's  career.  Willingly  would  I  have  passed  it  over 
in  silence,  or  attempted,  like  Noah's  sons,  to  go  backward 
and  drop  over  it  the  mantle  of  concealment.  But  to  have 
done  that  would  only  have  been  to  leave  out  of  the  Psalm- 
ist's history  its  most  solemn  lesson,  while  it  would  have  ren- 
dered all  but  unintelligible  to  you  the  appalling  calamities 
that  came  upon  him  in  his  later  days.  Hence,  I  can  see  no 
way  of  evading  the  consideration  of  this  painful  subject,  and 
my  earnest  prayer  is  that  the  God  of  purity  may  so  guide 
me  that  I  shall  speak  only  words  of  wisdom. 

The  details  of  the  matter  are  so  fully  given  in  the  narra- 
tive, that  I  need  not  enter  upon  them.  I  shall,  therefore, 
keeping  our  own  spiritual  profit  in  view,  endeavor  to  set  be- 
fore you  the  precursors  of  David's  fall,  the  aggravations  of 
his  sin,  the  penitence  he  manifested,  the  forgiveness  he  re- 
ceived, and  the  consequences  which  flowed  from  his  iniquity. 

Let  us  look,  first,  at  the  precursors  of  David's  fall.  You 
never  find  in  a  man's  history  such  a  sin  as  this  was,  without 
discovering  that  certain  things  have  gone  before  which  help 
to  explain  its  commission.  You  will  generally  discover  that 
a  variety  of  circumstances  combined  to  put  him  into  a  state 
of  heart  which  was,  if  I  may  so  express  it,  just  ready  for  re- 
ceiving and  yielding  to  the  temptation  by  which  he  was  as- 
sailed. At  another  time  the  evil  suggestion  would  have 


THE  GREAT  TRANSGRESSION.  265 

been  at  once  repelled ;  but  then,  in  consequence  of  certain 
foregoing  things,  he  had  so  weakened  himself,  that  he  yield- 
ed almost  without  a  struggle.  This,  at  least,  appears  to  have 
been  the  case  with  David,  and  it  may  greatly  help  to  stir  us 
up  to  watchfulness,  if  we  can  find  out  how  such  a  man  as  he 
undoubtedly  was,  came  to  fall  so  easy  a  prey  to  the  great 
Tempter. 

Now,  in  searching  for  an  answer  to  this  inquiry,  let  us  note, 
in  the  first  place,  that  for  a  long  course  of  years  he  had  en- 
joyed, virtually,  unbroken  prosperity.  Ever  since  he  had 
come  to  the  throne  of  united  Israel,  things  seem  to  have 
gone  well  with  him.  He  had  hardly  known  what  it  was,  as 
a  warrior,  to  suffer  a  defeat ;  or,  as  a  monarch,  to  endure  un- 
popularity and  the  antagonism  of  his  people.  But  all  this 
was  highly  dangerous  to  him ;  for  the  influence  of  such  an 
experience,  even  on  the  best  of  men,  is  to  weaken  their  spir- 
itual character,  and  make  them  more  tolerant  of  evil  both  in 
themselves  and  others.  Like  Moab,  David  during  these 
years  had  not  been  "  emptied  from  vessel  to  vessel,"  and 
so  he  had  "settled  upon  his  lees."  "Because  he  had  no 
changes,"  his  will  became  more  feeble,  his  conscience  weak- 
er, and  his  whole  nature  less  sensitive  to  sin. 

Again,  let  it  be  observed  that  this  sad  episode  occurred 
during  a  period  of  idleness.  The  army,  with  which  he  should 
have  been,  was  at  Rabbah,  seeking  to  consummate  the  de- 
struction of  Ammon,  which  in  a  former  campaign  had  been 
begun ;  "  but  David  tarried  still  at  Jerusalem."  This  was 
hardly  like  the  warrior-king.  It  seemed  almost  as  if  effemi- 
nacy was  beginning  in  him,  and  he  was  preferring,  for  no 
good  reason  which  one  can  see,  the  luxury  of  the  palace  to 
the  hardship  and  peril  of  the  camp.  Besides  this,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  his  mighty  men,  he  would  be  deprived  -of  his  usual 
companions,  and  left  very  much  to  himself.  Hence  it  is 
natural  to  suppose  that  he  was  living,  just  then,  an  aimless, 

12 


266  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

idle,  and  luxurious  life,  and  was  consequently  peculiarly  open 
to  the  suggestions  of  the  adversary.  Satan  tempts  other 
men ;  but  the  idle  man  tempts  Satan,  and  very  soon  the  evil 
one  finds  him  something  to  do. 

Once  more  let  it  be  noted,  that  when  at  such  a  time  Satan 
comes  to  a  man,  he  makes  his  appeal  to  that  particular  part 
of  his  nature  where  passion  is  strongest  and  principle  is 
weakest.  Now  in  David  what  that  was  might  be  very  easily 
discovered.  From  an  early  period  of  his  career,  he  had  been 
especially  susceptible  in  the  very  matter  in  which  now  he 
fell.  This  fs  evident  from  his  marriage  of  Abigail,  and  also 
from  the  great  latitude  in  which  he  allowed  himself,  after  his 
settlement  in  Jerusalem,  in  respect  to  his  harem.  Polyga- 
my, though  not  forbidden  by  the  Mosaic  law,  was  regulated 
and  discouraged ;  but  David  proceeded  as  if  it  had  been  a 
perfectly  warrantable  and  legitimate  thing,  and  this  conduct 
on  his  part  undoubtedly  tended  to  weaken  his  impression  of 
the  sanctity  of  marriage.  That  sense  of  delicacy  and  chas- 
tity, which  has  such  a  purifying  and  preserving  influence  on 
the  life,  could  not  flourish  side  by  side  with  the  polygamy  in 
which  he  permitted  himself ;  and  so,  though  he  thought  not 
of  it  at  the  time,  his  taking  of  many  wives  to  himself  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  revolting  iniquity  which  he  committed.* 
Here,  then,  in  the  moral  weakness  which  constant  prosper- 
ity had  created,  in  the  opportunity  which  idleness  afforded 
to  temptation,  and  in  the  blunted  sensibility  which  polygamy 
had  superinduced,  we  see  how  David  was  so  easily  overcome. 


*  It  is  a  strong  verification  of  this  view  of  the  case  that,  as  indeed 
Blaikie  has  remarked  ("  David,  King  of  Israel :  the  Divine  Plan,  and 
Lessons  of  his  Life,"  p.  145),  while,  in  the  confession  of  the  5ist  Psalm, 
"  he  specifies  the  sin  of  blood-guiltiness,  and  seems  to  have  been  over- 
whelmed with  a  sense  of  his  meanness,  injustice,  and  selfishness,  there  is 
no  special  allusion  to  the  sin  of  adultery,  and  no  special  indication  of 
that  sin  pressing  heavy  on  his  conscience." 


THE  GREAT  TRANSGRESSION.  267 

But  let  us  turn  now  to  look  at  the  aggravations  by  which 
this  iniquity  was  accompanied.  No  one  great  sin  ever  stands 
alone.  Either  other  sins  of  less  apparent  enormity  have  led 
up  to  it,  or  additional  transgressions  have  been  committed 
for  the  purpose  of  concealing  it  from  public  view.  This  last 
was  true  in  the  present  instance ;  for,  after  having  unsuccess- 
fully attempted,  in  the  meanest  possible  manner,  to  use  Uri- 
ah himself  for  the  purpose  of  hiding  the  consequences  of 
his  iniquity,  David  wrote  that  diabolical  letter  to  Joab,  which, 
though  it  was  virtually  Uriah's  death-warrant,  he  asked  the 
victim  to  deliver  with  his  own  hand.  Alas  !  alas  !  "how  are 
the  mighty  fallen !"  Is  this  the  man  according  to  God's  own 
heart  ?  The  time  was  when,  in  tenderness  of  conscience,  he 
upbraided  himself  for  cutting  off  the  skirt  of  Saul's  robe ; 
but  here  he  is  compassing  the  destruction  of  one  of  the 
bravest  and  most  devoted  of  his  own  officers.  One  might 
have  thought  that  his  very  application  to  the  cunning,  treach- 
erous, and  unscrupulous  Joab  might  have  roused  the  torpid 
moral  sense  of  David,  for  there  was  nothing  in  common  be- 
tween them,  at  least  so  far  as  David's  better  nature  was  con- 
cerned ;  but  in  the  present  instance,  it  was  Joab's  very  wick- 
edness that  commended  him  to  the  king  as  the  most  fitting 
instrument  for  carrying  out  his  infamous  design.  Nay,  per- 
haps the  fact  that  Joab  was  there  may  have  suggested  to 
him  this  particular  method  of  getting  rid  of  the  Hittite,  for 
"oft  the  sight  of  means  to  do  ill  deeds  makes  ill  deeds 
done ;"  and  so  it  may  well  have  been  that  David  is  reaping 
here  the  pestilential  fruits  of  his  sparing  Joab,  when  justice 
demanded  his  execution  for  the  murder  of  Abner.  In  any 
case,  here  is  David,  whom  God  had  honored  and  blessed, 
who  had  every  thing  that  was  necessary  to  comfort  and  hap- 
piness, and  who  had  reached  a  time  of  life  when  he  could  no 
longer  plead  either  the  inexperience  or  the  passion  of  youth, 
betrayed  into  all  this  terrible  wickedness.  The  sin  which 


268  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

was  committed  in  the  moment  of  passion  prepares  the  way 
for  the  premeditated  villainy  of  murder;  for  murder  the 
slaughter  of  Uriah  was,  just  as  really  as  if  David  himself 
had  stabbed  him  under  the  fifth  rib.  "  Lord,  what  is  man  ?" 
If  this  be  true,  who  among  us  is  safe  if  he  should  remit  his 
watchfulness  for  but  a  single  hour  ? 

But  it  may  be  asked,  How  can  you  account  for  such  enor- 
mous iniquity  in  such  a  man  as  we  have  seen  that  David 
was  ?  To  this  I  answer,  that  we  may  explain  it  by  the  ab- 
sence for  the  time  being  of  that  restraining  influence  which 
his  better  nature  was  wont  to  exercise  over  his  life.  Passion 
had  dethroned  conscience ;  and  then,  owing  to  the  intensity 
of  his  character,  and  the  general  greatness  of  the  man,  his 
sins  became  as  much  blacker  than  those  of  others  as  his 
good  qualities  were  greater  than  theirs.  In  every  good  man 
there  are  still  two  natures  striving  for  the  mastery.  "  The 
flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the 
flesh."  The  new  nature  is  generally  in  the  ascendant,  but 
sometimes  the  old  evil  nature  will  re-assert  its  supremacy, 
and  the  effect  of  this  temporary  revolution  will  be  deter- 
mined by  the  temperament  and  characteristics  of  the  indi- 
vidual. Now  there  are  some  men  in  whom  every  thing  is 
on  a  large  scale.  When  their  good  nature  is  uppermost, 
they  overtop  all  others  in  holiness ;  but  if,  unhappily,  they 
should  be  thrown  off  their  guard,  and  the  old  man  should 
gain  the  mastery,  some  dreadful  wickedness  may  be  expect- 
ed. This  is  all  the  more  likely  to  be  the  case  if  the  quality 
of  intensity  be  added  to  their  greatness;  for  a  man  with 
such  a  temperament  is  never  any  thing  by  half.  But  it  was 
just  thus  with  David.  He  was  a  man  of  great  intensity  and 
pre-eminent  energy.  He  was  in  every  respect  above  ordi- 
nary men  ;  and  so  when,  for  the  time,  the  fleshly  nature  was 
the  stronger  within  him,  the  sins  which  he  committed  were 
as  much  greater  than  those  of  common  men,  as  in  other  cir- 


THE  GREAT  TRANSGRESSION.  269 

cumstances  his  excellencies  were  nobler  than  theirs.  We 
often  make  great  mistakes  in  judging  of  the  characters  of 
others,  because  we  ignore  all  these  considerations ;  and 
many  well-conducted  persons  among  us  get  great  credit  for 
their  good  moral  character,  while  the  truth  is  that  they  are 
blameless  not  so  much  because  they  have  higher-toned  prin- 
ciple than  others,  as  because  they  have  feeble,  timid  natures, 
that  are  too  cautious  or  too  weak  to  let  them  go  very  far 
either  into  holiness  or  into  sin.  But  David  was  not  one 
of  these.  Every  thing  about  him  was  intense ;  and  hence, 
when  he  sinned,  he  did  it  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  well- 
nigh  the  most  hardened  shudder.  In  all  this,  observe,  I  am 
not  extenuating  David's  guilt.  It  is  one  thing  to  explain,  it 
is  another  thing  to  excuse.  A  man  of  David's  nature  ought 
to  be  more  peculiarly  on  his  guard  than  other  men.  The 
express  train,  dashing  along  at  furious  speed,  will  do  more 
mischief  if  it  runs  off  the  line  than  the  slow-going  horse-car 
in  our  city  streets.  Every  one  understands  that ;  but  every 
one  demands,  in  consequence,  that  the  driver  of  the  one 
shall  be  proportionately  more  watchful  than  that  of  the  oth- 
er. Now  with  such  a  nature  as  David  had,  and  knew  that 
he  had,  he  ought  to  have  been  supremely  on  his  guard,  while 
again  the  privileges  which  he  had  received  from  God  render- 
ed it  both  easy  and  practicable  for  him  to  be  vigilant.  To 
sum  up  all,  then,  taking  David's  nature  as  it  is  here  set  be- 
fore us,  I  can  perfectly  well  understand  how,  when  he  sin- 
ned, he  sinned  so  terribly ;  while  having  regard  to  his  privi- 
leges and  position,  his  sin  appears  to  be  utterly  inexcusable. 
Nothing  can  be  said  either  in  its  vindication  or  extenuation. 
From  first  to  last,  it  illustrates  the  climax  of  the  apostle  ;  and 
as  we  trace  its  course  we  call  it  "earthly,  sensual,  devilish." 
May  the  analysis  of  it  at  this  time  lead  us  to  keep  a  good 
outlook,  so  that  we  may  not  go  down  upon  the  rocks  on 
which  he  struck. 


270  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

But  now  let  us  look  briefly  at  his  penitence.  This  was  a 
long  time  in  making  its  appearance.  For  at  least  a  year,  if 
not  more,  David  carried  on  his  conscience,  unconfessed  and 
unforgiven,  the  burden  of  these  heinous  iniquities.  During 
that  time  Uriah  had  been  slain ;  he  had  added  Bath-sheba 
to  the  number  of  his  wives ;  the  child  of  guilt  and  shame 
had  been  born  ;  and  yet  there  was  no  token  of  sorrow  or  re- 
gret about  the  king ;  nay,  perhaps,  during  that  time  he  had 
even  continued  the  formal  observance  of  God's  worship,  both 
in  the  sacred  tent  and  in  his  household ;  but  there  was  no 
acknowledgment  of  his  transgression.  It  must  not  be  sup- 
posed, however,  that  he  was  quite  happy.  On  the  contrary, 
he  must  have  been  ill  at  ease,  and  there  are  not  wanting  in- 
dications that  he  was  really  miserable ;  for  the  campaign 
against  Rabbah,  of  which  we  have  the  record  in  the  twelfth 
chapter  of  2  Samuel,  must  be  held  as  having  occurred  before 
Nathan's  visit  to  him  ;  and  in  his  conduct  in  connection  with 
that  siege  there  are  evidences  that  there  was  some  irritating 
thing  within  him  which  disturbed  his  usual  magnanimity  of 
disposition.  Thus,  in  ordinary  circumstances,  when  he  re- 
ceived the  message  of  Joab,  asking  him  to  come  and  take 
the  city  in  person,  the  chivalrous  spirit  of  the  king  would 
have  prompted  him  to  say  that  he  who  had  so  efficiently 
conducted  the  expedition  thus  far  should  not  be  robbed  by 
him  of  the  honor  of  bringing  it  to  a  successful  issue  ;  but  as 
it  was,  the  enterprise  promised  him  an  opportunity  for  a  time 
of  escaping  from  himself,  and  he  probably  went  thither  in 
the  maddest  of  all  attempts,  that,  namely,  of  outrunning  a 
guilty  conscience.  Then,  in  his  treatment  of  the  fallen  foe, 
we  trace  the  haughty  and  vindictive  spirit  of  one  who  was 
suffering  from  some  hidden  remorse.  Nothing  will  make 
the  temper  so  sour,  or  the  heart  so  cruel,  as  a  conscience  ill 
at  ease ;  hence,  when  we  read  that  he  put  the  people  un- 
der saws  and  under  harrows  of  iron,  and  made  them  to  pass 


THE  GREAT  TRANSGRESSION.  271 

through  the  brick-kiln,  we  instinctively  understand  that  the 
inner  gnawing  of  remorse  had  made  him  for  the  time  dead 
to  the  promptings  of  generosity,  and  disposed  him  to  the 
commission  of  the  most  capricious  cruelty.  But  this  condi- 
tion of  heart  was  not  to  be  perpetual.  "  The  thing  that  Da- 
vid had  done  displeased  the  Lord ;"  and  just  because,  in 
spite  of  all  he  had  done,  he  was  one  of  the  Lord's  own,  he 
must  be  brought  to  a  better  mind.  This  was  accomplished 
by  the  visit  of  Nathan,  and  the  bold,  manly  application  which 
he  made  to  the  king  himself  of  the  exquisite  parable  of  the 
ewe  lamb.  On  that  parable  we  dare  hardly  presume  to  offer 
a  remark.  It  is  so  finished  in  its  beauty,  so  admirable  in  its 
construction,  so  perfect  in  its  adaptation  to  the  end  which 
the  divine  messenger  had  in  view,  as  to  stand  out  incompa- 
rably the  finest  thing  of  its  kind  which  the  Old  Testament 
contains.  We  can  picture  to  ourselves  the  interview.  Na- 
than, passing  through  the  palace  of  cedar,  leaves  warriors 
and  statesmen  in  the  outer  chamber,  and,  with  a  heart  heavy 
with  the  burden  of  the  Lord,  enters  the  royal  closet.  He 
tells  his  touching  story  with  simple  pathos,  his  voice,  may- 
hap, quivering  with  emotion,  as  he  says,  "  It  grew  up  togeth- 
er with  him,  and  with  his  children ;  it  did  eat  of  his  own 
meat,  and  drank  of  his  own  cup,  and  lay  in  his  bosom,  and 
was  unto  him  as  a  daughter."  Then,  with  an  eye  flashing 
with  honest  indignation,  he  speaks  of  the  rich  man's  unfeel- 
ing covetousness  and  cruelty ;  and  ere  he  has  well  ceased, 
the  king,  in  the  impatience  of  his  anger,  exclaims,  "As  the 
Lord  liveth,  the  man  that  hath  done  this  thing  shall  surely 
die  :  and  he  shall  restore  the  lamb  fourfold,  because  he  did 
this  thing,  and  because  he  had  no  pity."  Then,  with  the 
faithful  directness  of  a  man  of  God,  the  prophet  makes  reply, 
"  Thou  art  the  man."  In  a  moment  David  sees  all  that  he 
had  done ;  and  as  one  article  after  another  of  Nathan's  sol- 
emn indictment  falls  upon  his  ear,  he  acknowledges  the 


272  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

truth  of  each,  until,  humbled  to  the  very  dust,  he  cries,  in  se- 
verest agony,  "  I  have  sinned  against  the  Lord." 

It  may  seem  to  some,  that  a  penitence  thus  suddenly  pro- 
duced could  be  neither  very  deep  nor  very  thorough.  But 
to  those  who  think  thus,  three  things  must  be  said. 

First :  an  impression  may  be  produced  in  a  moment  which 
will  remain  indelible.  We  have  heard,  for  example,  of  one 
who,  as  he  was  traveling  in  an  Alpine  region  at  midnight, 
saw  for  an  instant,  by  the  brilliancy  of  a  flash  of  lightning, 
that  he  was  in  such  a  position  that  another  step  would  have 
been  over  a  fearful  precipice,  and  the  effect  upon  him  was 
that  he  started  back  and  waited  for  the  morning  dawn. 
Now  such  a  flash  of  lightning  into  the  darkness  of  David's 
soul,  this  "  Thou  art  the  man,"  of  Nathan's,  was  to  him.  It 
revealed  to  him,  by  its  momentary  brilliance,  the  full  aggra- 
vation of  his  iniquity.  He  did  not  need  or  desire  a  second 
sight  of  it.  That  was  enough  to  stir  him  up  to  hatred  of  his 
sin,  and  of  himself. 

But,  second :  we  must,  in  connection  with  this  narrative, 
read  the  Psalms  to  which  David's  penitence  gave  birth,  name- 
ly, the  5ist  and  the  320! ;  and  if  these  are  not  the  genuine 
utterances  of  a  passionate  sincerity,  where  shall  we  find  that 
quality  in  any  literature  ?  Admirably  has  Chandler  said  of 
the  5ist  Psalm  :  "  The  heart  appears  in  every  line ;  and  the 
bitter  anguish  of  a  wounded  conscience  discovers  itself  by 
the  most  natural  and  convincing  symbols.  Let  but  the 
Psalm  be  read  without  prejudice,  and  with  a  view  only  to  col- 
lect the  real  sentiments  expressed  in  it,  and  the  disposition 
of  heart  that  appears  throughout  the  whole  of  it,  and  no 
man  of  candor,  I  am  confident,  will  ever  suspect  that  it  was 
the  dictate  of  hypocrisy,  or  could  be  penned  from  any  other 
motive  but  a  strong  conviction  of  the  heinousness  of  his  of- 
fense, and  the  earnest  desire  of  God's  forgiveness,  and  being 
restrained  from  the  commission  of  the  like  transgressions  for 


THE  GREAT  TRANSGRESSION.  273 

the  future."*  But  lest  the  testimony  of  this  author  should 
be  accounted  as  partial,  let  me  put  before  you  another  of  a 
different  sort.  Voltaire  once  attempted  to  burlesque  this 
Psalm,  and  what  was  the  result  ?  While  carefully  perusing 
it,  that  he  might  familiarize  himself  with  the  train  of  senti- 
ment which  he  designed  to  caricature,  he  became  so  op- 
pressed and  overawed  by  its  solemn  devotional  tone,  that  he 
threw  down  the  pen  and  fell  back  half  senseless  on  his 
couch,  in  an  agony  of  remorse.  This  is  told  as  an  un- 
doubted fact  by  Dr.  Leander  Van  Ess.  Hence  we  can  not 
but  admit  the  depth  and  fervor  of  the  penitence  out  of  which 
such  a  prayer  arose ;  and  though  the  32d  Psalm  is  more  ju- 
bilant in  its  tone,  as  referring  to  forgiveness  in  actual  posses- 
sion, the  very  gladness  which  it  expresses  is  a  witness  to  the 
sadness  for  sin  which  had  gone  before. 

Furthermore,  as  another  evidence  of  the  genuineness  of 
David's  repentance,  we  point  to  the  words  of  Nathan, "  The 
Lord  also  hath  put  away  thy  sin,"  and  ask  if  the  prophet,  as 
Jehovah's  representative,  would  have  said  any  thing  like  that, 
if  the  penitence  of  David  had  been  insincere.  On  the  whole, 
therefore,  while  we  mourn  over  the  grievous  iniquity  of  which 
David  was  guilty,  let  us  be  thankful  that  we  have,  along  with 
the  record  of  his  sin,  the  account  of  his  repentance — a  re- 
pentance, let  us  say,  as  much  more  intense  than  that  of  ordi- 
nary men  as  his  sin  was  more  heinous.  There  was  no  at- 
tempt at  self-vindication  ;  there  was  no  plea  in  palliation  ; 
there  was  nothing  but  the  frank  confession,  "  I  acknowledge 
my  transgression  ;"  "  I  have  sinned  ;"  "  My  sin  is  ever  before 
me."  Nor  was  it  the  shame  of  his  iniquity  before  men,  or 
the  fear  of  the  punishment  which  he  had  incurred,  that  dis- 
tressed him.  His  deepest  anguish  was  that  he  had  displeased 
the  Lord  :  "Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I  sinned,  and  done 

*  Chandler's  "  Life  of  David,"  p.  427. 
12* 


274  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

this  evil  in  thy  sight."  This  was  the  burden  of  his  confes- 
sion, and  the  earnest  longing  of  his  soul  was  expressed  in 
these  words :  "  Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation." 
It  were  well  that  these  considerations  were  more  frequently 
remembered.  Many  make  a  mock  at  David's  sin,  who  say 
nothing  of  his  repentance.  It  is  enough  for  them  to  read  in 
one  place  that  he  was  the  man  according  to  God's  own  heart, 
and  in  another  that  he  committed  these  great  sins,  and  forth- 
with they  turn  the  battery  of  their  scorn  on  the  religion  of 
the  Bible.  But  all  such  procedure  is  unreasonable.  David 
did  not  sin  because  he  was  the  man  according  to  God's  own 
heart,  but  in  spite  of  his  being  so  ;  while  if  he  had  not  been 
in  the  main  a  godly  man  he  would  have  remained  in  his  sin, 
and  would  have  taken  no  step  of  any  sort  to  acknowledge 
his  guilt,  or  to  raise  himself  from  the  degradation  into  which 
he  had  fallen.  What,  really,  is  the  distinction  between  the 
people  of  God  and  the  wicked  on  the  earth  ?  Is  it  that  the 
one  class  commit  no  sins,  while  the  other  fall  into  iniquity  ? 
No ;  the  godly  man  does  sin.  No  one  will  be  more  ready 
to  acknowledge  that  than  himself.  The  difference,  therefore, 
is  not  there.  It  lies  in  this  :  that  when  the  child  of  God  falls 
into  sin,  he  rises  out  of  it  and  leaves  it,  and  cries  to  God  for 
pardon,  purity,  and  help ;  but  when  the  ungodly  man  falls 
into  sin,  he  continues  in  it,  and  delights  in  it,  as  does  the  sow 
in  her  wallowing  in  the  mire.  It  is  a  poor,  shallow  philoso- 
phy, therefore,  that  sneers  at  such  a  history  as  this  of  David ; 
nay,  it  is  worse  even  than  that :  it  is  the  very  spirit  of  Sa- 
tan, rejoicing,  as  it  does,  in  the  iniquity  of  others.  On  this 
point,  however,  I  gladly  avail  myself  of  the  language  of  a 
living  writer,  not  usually  considered  to  have  any  very  strong 
bias  in  favor  of  the  Scriptural  views  of  men  and  things — I 
mean  Thomas  Carlyle.  "  Faults  !"  says  this  author,  in  his 
"Lecture  on  the  Hero  as  Prophet ;"  "the  greatest  of  faults,  I 
should  say,  is  to  be  conscious  of  none.  Readers  of  the  Bi- 


THE  GREAT  TRANSGRESSION.  275 

ble,  above  all,  one  would  think,  might  know  better.  Who  is 
called  there  the  man  according  to  God's  own  heart  ?  David, 
the  Hebrew  king,  had  fallen  into  sins  enough ;  blackest 
crimes ;  there  was  no  want  of  sins.  And  thereupon  unbe- 
lievers sneer  and  ask, '  Is  this  your  man  according  to  God's 
heart?'  The  sneer,  I  must  say,  seems  to  me  but  a  shallow 
one.  What  are  faults  ?  what  are  the  outward  details  of  a 
life,  if  the  inner  secret  of  it — the  remorse,  temptations,  true, 
often-baffled,  never-ending  struggle  of  it — be  forgotten  ?  '  It 
is  not  in  man  that  walketh  to  direct  his  steps.'  Of  all  acts, 
is  not,  for  a  man,  repentance  the  most  divine  ?  The  deadli- 
est sin,  I  say,  were  that  same  supercilious  consciousness  of 
no  sin.  That  is  death.  The  heart  so  conscious  is  divorced 
from  sincerity,  humility,  and  fact — is  dead.  It  is  pure,  as 
dead,  dry  sand  is  pure.  David's  life  and  history,  as  written 
for  us  in  those  Psalms  of  his,  I  consider  to  be  the  truest  em- 
blem ever  given  of  a  man's  moral  progress  and  warfare  here 
below.  All  earnest  souls  will  ever  discern  in  it  the  faithful 
struggle  of  an  earnest  human  soul  toward  what  is  good  and 
best.  Struggle  often  baffled  sore,  baffled  down  into  entire 
wreck,  yet  a  struggle  never  ended ;  ever  with  tears,  repent- 
ance, true,  unconquerable  purpose  begun  anew.  Poor  hu- 
man nature  !  Is  not  a  man's  walking  in  truth  always  that — 
*  a  succession  of  falls  ?'  Man  can  do  no  other.  In  this  wild 
element  of  a  life,  he  has  to  struggle  upward  :  now  fallen,  now 
abased  ;  and  ever  with  tears,  repentance,  and  bleeding  heart, 
he  has  to  rise  again,  struggle  again,  still  onward.  That  his 
struggle  be  a  faithful,  unconquerable  one,  that  is  the  question 
of  questions." 

We  have  now  to  look,  very  briefly,  at  the  consequences  of 
this  trespass,  as  they  developed  themselves  in  David's  after- 
history  and  that  of  his  family.  One  sin  destroyeth  much 
good,  and  terrible  evils  sprung  out  of  this  iniquity.  True, 
David  received  forgiveness,  but  forgiveness  does  not  arrest 


276  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

the  consequences  of  the  deeds  which  we  have  committed. 
It  does  not  prevent  the  operation  of  the  natural  law  where- 
by sin  works  ever  toward  misery  and  retribution.  It  re- 
stricts the  punishment  of  iniquity,  in  the  case  of  the  forgiven 
one,  to  the  present  life;  but  within  that  limit  the  conse- 
quences of  sin,  even  to  a  child  of  God,  as  David  was,  are  oft- 
en very  dreadful.  What  a  series  of  tragedies  is  comprised 
in  the  history  of  David,  from  this  point  on  till  his  death  !  all 
of  them,  too,  more  or  less  immediately  connected  with  this 
sin.  First,  there  is  the  death  of  Bath^sheba's  child ;  then 
there  comes  back  upon  him,  in  an  intenser  form,  his  own 
wickedness,  as  we  see  his  guilt  repeated  in  the  sin  of  Am- 
non,  and  his  murder  by  the  hand  of  Absalom  ;  then  there  is 
the  rebellion  of  Absalom,  which  never  could  have  gained 
any  headway  in  the  land  without  the  adherence  to  it  of 
Ahithophel ;  and  he,  as  I  shall  hope  to  show  you  afterward, 
was  the  grandfather  of  Bath-sheba  ;  so  that  the  very  strength 
of  the  revolt,  which  so  nearly  hurled  David  from  his  throne, 
came  as  a  direct  result  of  the  wickedness  which  to-night  we 
have  been  considering ;  then  there  was  the  death  of  Absa- 
lom, inflicted  by  Joab,  who,  from  this  point  on,  becomes  more 
arrogant  and  overbearing  than  ever,  because  he  is  conscious 
that,  in  the  possession  of  the  secret  of  the  manner  of  Uriah's 
death,  he  has  his  sovereign  thoroughly  in  his  power;  then, 
last  of  all,  there  came  another  revolt  to  disturb  the  peaceful- 
ness  of  David's  death-bed,  and  to  give  a  sad  significance  to 
his  latest  words,  "Though  my  house  be  not  so  with  God." 
Most  awfully  were  Nathan's  words  fulfilled  :  "  Now,  there- 
fore, the  sword  shall  not  depart  from  thine  house."  These 
are  the  sheaves  of  that  harvest  of  sorrow  which  David  reap- 
ed from  the  field  whereon  he  sowed  "to  the  flesh."  But 
sadder  even  than  these  desolating  things  is  the  change 
which,  from  this  point,  we  observe  in  David  himself.  Hence- 
forth he  is  no  longer  the  man  he  was.  He  goes  about 


THE  GREAT  TRANSGRESSION.  277 

crushed  in  spirit,  humiliated  before  his  people,  and  degraded 
even  in  his  own  estimation.  The  nobler  features  of  his  char- 
acter seem  to  have  become  eclipsed ;  and  infirmities  of  tem- 
per, weakness  of  will,  and  even  dimness  of  judgment,  begin 
to  appear.  The  spring  of  his  life  seems  to  have  gone.  The 
elasticity  and  bound  of  his  character  are  seen  no  more.  He 
trusts,  indeed,  in  God  to  the  last,  but  it  is  not  with  the  joyful 
confidence  of  one  who  is  rich  in  the  consciousness  of  his  fa- 
ther's complacency,  but  rather  with  the  dull  and  heavy  grasp 
of  one  who  knows  that  he  has  deeply  wounded  his  father's 
heart.  "Alas  !  for  him,"  says  Kitto,  "  the  bird  which  once 
rose  to  heights  unattained  before  by  mortal  wing,  filling  the 
air  with  its  joyful  songs,  now  lies,  with  maimed  wing,  upon 
the  ground,  pouring  forth  its  doleful  cries  to  God."* 

We  can  not  read  such  a  history  as  that  which  we  have 
been  considering  to-night,  without  remarking  on  the  honesty 
of  the  biographies  which  the  Word  of  God  contains.  The 
sacred  writers  draw  no  veil  over  the  errors  and  imperfections 
of  those  whom  they  describe.  They  tell  of  the  falsehood  of 
Abraham  ;  the  cunning  selfishness  of  Jacob.;  the  petulant 
hastiness  of  Moses  ;  the  weakness  of  Aaron  ;  the  vacillation 
of  Peter ;  and  the  sharp  contention  between  Paul  and  Bar- 
nabas, with  the  same  unvarnished  truthfulness  as  they  de- 
scribe the  excellences  for  which  these  great  men  were  re- 
markable ;  and  the  same  historian  who  records  that  David 
was  called  the  "man  according  to  God's  own  heart,"  relates 
also  this  terrible  story  of  wickedness;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
there  is  no  attempt  at  extenuation  or  excuse.  Have  we  not 
in  all  this  a  corroboration  of  the  inspiration  of  the  sacred 
penman  ?  And  when,  as  in  the  instance  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  they  set  before  us  a  pure  and  perfect  life,  with  as  lit- 
tle attempt  at  elaboration,  and  as  little  effort  at  exaggeration 

*  "  Daily  Bible  Illustrations,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  431. 


278  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

as  there  is  of  apology  in  the  case  before  us,  may  we  not  con- 
clude that  in  both  they  are  painting  simply  and  only  from 
reality?  There  was  only  one  man  who  could  be  described 
as  "holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate  from  sinners," 
and  He  was  more  than  man.  "  Cease  ye  from  man,  whose 
breath  is  in  his  nostrils ;  for  wherein  is  he  to  be  accounted 
of?"  This  is  the  exclamation  which  rises  from  our  lips,  as 
we  ponder  over  this  biography.  "  The  best  of  men  are  but 
men  at  the  best,"  and  need  equally  with  others  to  be  wash- 
ed in  the  fountain  which  has  been  opened  for  sin  and  for 
uncleanness. 

But  we  must  not  overlook  the  practical  purpose  which 
the  record  of  the  sins  of  good  men  was  designed  to  serve. 
"Whatsoever  was  written  aforetime  was  written  for  our 
learning ;"  and  even  the  dullest  scholar  can  be  at  no  loss  to 
discover  the  moral  of  such  a  history  as  that  of  David's  fall. 
It  bids  us  be  continually  on  our  guard,  lest  we  enter  into 
temptation  ;  for  if  even  a  David  fell  so  fearfully,  who  among 
us  can  be  secure  ?  Here  was  a  man  of  pre-eminent  ability, 
of  great  piety,  and  of  extensive  usefulness,  and  yet  he  was 
guilty  of  most  revolting  sin.  Surely  the  practical  inference 
is,  "Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he 
fall."  No  station  in  society,  no  eminence  in  the  church,  no 
excellence  in  character,  no  mere  inspiration  of  genius,  can 
keep  a  man  from  sin  ;  nay,  not  even  the  gift  of  divine  inspi- 
ration can  preserve  its  possessor  from  a  fall.  Nothing  can 
do  that  but  the  grace  of  God  working  in  him  through  prayer, 
and  persevering  watchfulness.  I  say  persevering  watchful- 
ness, for  our  vigilance  must  be  continued  so  long  as  life  on 
earth  shall  last. 

We  often  speak  of  youth  as  the  most  dangerous  time  of 
life ;  and  indeed,  when  one  has  regard  to  the  new  nature 
which  begins  to  assert  itself  in  the  opening  years  of  man- 
hood ;  to  the  inexperience  with  which  those  who  are  at  that 


THE  GREAT  TRANSGRESSION.  279 

stage  of  existence  are  characterized;  and  to  the  self-suffi- 
ciency by  which,  for  the  most  part,  they  are  distinguished,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  exaggerate  the  dangers  which,  especially 
in  our  great  cities,  beset  the  years  of  youth.  But  that  is  not 
the  only  dangerous  time.  It  might  often  seem  as  if  we  be- 
lieved that  it  was ;  and  for  a  hundred  lectures  addressed  to 
young  men,  there  is  hardly  one  delivered  to  those  in  middle 
life,  or  who  are  verging  toward  the  period  of  old  age.  Yet, 
if  we  take  the  Word  of  God  for  our  guide,  it  would  almost 
appear  as  if  these  latter  stages  of  existence  were  more  trying 
and  dangerous  even  than  that  of  youth.  This  at  least  is 
true,  that  the  saddest  moral  catastrophes  of  which  the  Bible 
tells  occurred  in  the  history  of  men  who  were  no  longer 
young.  Noah  and  Lot  were  far  from  youth  when  they  fell 
before  the  influence  of  strong  drink  :  and  Demas  was  not  by 
any  means  a  "  novice  "  when  he  forsook  Paul, "  having  loved 
this  present  world."  So  David  here  was  past  the  mid-time 
of  his  days  when  he  committed  these  great  transgressions. 
Moreover,  against  these  instances  we  have  those  of  Joseph, 
of  Moses,  and  of  Daniel,  who  in  the  opening  time  of  life  stood 
true  to  duty  and  to  God.  I  say  not  these  things,  however,  to 
make  young  men  less  watchful,  but  to  make  men  in  middle 
life,  and  all  through  life,  continue  vigilant.  So  long  as  we 
are  in  the  world,  we  are  in  an  enemy's  country ;  and  if  we 
are  not  particularly  on  our  guard,  we  shall  be  sure  to  suffer. 
The  world  is  full  of  defilement ;  and  in  passing  through  it  we 
must  gather  our  garments  tightly  round  us,  if  we  would  keep 
ourselves  unspotted  from  it.  Even  Paul  could  say  that  he 
"kept  his  body  under,  bringing  it  into  subjection,  lest  that  by 
any  means,  having  preached  to  others,  he  should  be  a  cast- 
away ;"  and  if  all  this  self-control  and  vigilance  was  necessa- 
ry for  him,  how  much  more  for  us !  Watch,  therefore,  lest  ye 
enter  into  temptation.  Give  no  parley  to  the  tempter.  Make 
a  covenant  with  your  eyes,  that  they  will  not  look  upon  in- 


280  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

iquity,  and  realizing  at  all  times  the  peril  in  which  you  stand, 
clothe  yourselves  in  the  panoply  of  God.  But  watching  alone 
will  not  suffice.  "  Watch  and  pray,"  the  Saviour  said  ;  not 
watch,  and  then  pray ;  not  pray,  and  then  watch  ;  but  watch 
and  pray  at  once.  While  the  eye  is  eagerly  searching  out  the 
danger,  let  the  heart  at  the  same  time  be  sending  up  the 
earnest  supplication, "  Hold  thou  up  my  goings  in  thy  path, 
that  my  footsteps  slip  not."  Thus  shall  we  be  kept  in  safe- 
ty, until  at  length  we  enter  into  that  land  where  our  purity 
and  our  reward  shall  be  alike  indestructible. 

But  while  David's  sin  forbids  any  saint  to  presume  on  his 
infallibility,  his  reception  by  God,  when  he  returned  to  him 
in  penitence,  equally  forbids  any  backslider  to  despair.  If 
after  such  iniquity  he  was  so  graciously  received,  and  had 
from  Nathan  the  assurance  that  "  the  Lord  had  put  away  his 
sin,"  surely  any  one  may  return,  and  find  forgiveness  from 
the  Lord.  Is  there  any  one  here  to-night  who  is  carrying  on 
his  conscience  the  load  of  unforgiven  sin  ?  He  may  be  look- 
ing back  to  the  time  when,  in  his  father's  home,  he  bent  his 
knees  in  prayer  to  God  ;  or  to  the  days  when,  in  the  Sunday- 
school,  he  loved  to  labor  among  the  children  for  Christ ;  or 
to  the  years  wherein  he  used  to  enjoy  sweet  seasons  of  com- 
munion at  the  table  of  the  Lord ;  and  as  in  thought  he  con- 
trasts these  with  the  depths  to  which  he  has  fallen,  he  may 
be  tempted  to  say, "  There  is  no  hope  for  me  ;  I  have  been 
too  ungrateful  and  abandoned  to  be  forgiven."  Let  such  an 
one  hear  the  voice  that  comes  to-night  from  David's  history, 
saying  to  him,  "  Return  !"  "  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way, 
and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts  :  and  let  him  return 
unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy  upon  him  ;  and  to  our 
God,  for  he  will  abundantly  pardon."  Let  him  ponder  well 
the  5ist  Psalm,  pouring  his  own  soul  into  its  confessions  and 
petitions,  and  soon  light  will  break  in  upon  his  soul,  like  the 
sunbeam  from  behind  a  cloud,  and  he  will  be  made  to  sing 


THE  GREAT  TRANSGRESSION.  281 

the  joyful  strain  with  which  the  320!  Psalm  opens.  "  Blessed 
is  he  whose  transgression  is  forgiven,  whose  sin  is  covered. 
Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom  the  Lord  imputeth  not  in- 
iquity, and  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile."  Thus,  though 
the  fall  of  David  has  undeniably  caused  many  to  blaspheme, 
it  may  prove  a  warning  to  many,  so  that  they  shall  stand  up- 
right, and  may  save  from  the  depths  of  utter  despair  those 
who  remember  that,  aggravated  as  his  guilt  was,  he  was  re- 
ceived back  into  the  favor  of  God  when  he  cried  to  him  in 
penitential  sincerity  for  forgiving  mercy. 

Finally :  we  can  not  but  note  "  what  an  evil  thing  and  a 
bitter  it  is  to  forsake  the  Lord."  Recall  for  a  moment  to 
your  recollection  the  consequences  of  David's  sins.  Behold 
how,  by  reproducing  themselves  in  darker  and  intenser  forms, 
these  iniquities  of  his  returned  upon  his  head.  He  caused 
the  death  of  Uriah,  and  the  sword  departed  not  from  his 
house  all  his  after-days ;  he  was  guilty  of  impurity,  and  his 
son  Amnon  bettered  the  example  which  his  father  set :  he 
committed  murder ;  Absalom  committed  fratricide  :  he  rebel- 
led against  the  Lord;  Absalom  rebelled  against  himself;  and 
all  this,  though  the  sins  themselves  were  forgiven.  But  if 
this  were  the  case  with  pardoned  iniquities,  what  must  it  be 
with  those  which  are  unforgiven  ?  If  this  were  the  retribu- 
tion of  the  present  life,  what  must  be  that  of  the  life  that 
is  to  come,  to  those  who  have  felt  no  penitence,  and  asked 
no  mercy  ?  Oh,  my  friends,  will  you  continue  to  live  in  such 
a  way  as  to  draw  down  eternal  misery  upon  your  heads? 
Do  not,  I  beseech  you,  that  abominable  thing  which  God 
hates.  Come  now,  if  you  have  never  come  before,  and  seek 
for  pardon  -and  regeneration  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
Let  the  time  past  of  your  lives  be  sufficient  "  to  have  wrought 
the  will  of  the  flesh."  Begin  now  to  live  for  God.  "  Be  it 
known  unto  you,  men  and  brethren,  that  through  Jesus  Christ 
is  preached  unto  you  the  forgiveness  of  sins ;  but  beware, 


282  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

lest  that  come  upon  you  which  is  spoken  of  in  the  prophets : 
'  Behold,  ye  despisers,  and  wonder,  and  perish ;  for  I  work  a 
work  in  your  days,  a  work  which  ye  shall  in  no  wise  believe, 
though  a  man  declare  it  unto  you.'  "  "  Knowing  the  terror 
of  the  Lord,"  we  would  persuade  you  now  to  embrace  the 
salvation  which  he  has  provided.  Why  will  ye  rush  upon 
destruction,  with  this  great  deliverance  in  your  offer  ? 


XVI. 

THE  BE  RE  A  VEMENT. 

2  SAMUEL  xii.,  15-23. 

THE  penal  consequences  of  David's  sin  took  the  form 
of  family  trials  and  national  troubles,  and  were  of  such 
a  nature  as  to  wring  his  heart  with  the  severest  anguish,  not 
only  by  their  own  bitterness,  but  also,  and  perhaps  especial- 
ly, by  the  vividness  with  which  they  brought  back  upon  his 
conscience  the  remembrance  of  his  own  iniquity.  To-night 
we  shall  restrict  ourselves  to  the  first  of  his  domestic  sor- 
rows, and  seek  to  draw  from  its  consideration  such  lessons 
as  shall  prove  both  wholesome  and  instructive. 

After  his  pointed  and  impressive  exhortation  to  the  king, 
and  his  parting  words  of  tender  consolation,  conveying  in 
them  the  assurance  of  the  Divine  forgiveness,  Nathan  with- 
drew from  the  palace.  He  had  perforated  a  difficult  and 
delicate  duty  with  signal  wisdom ;  he  had  succeeded  in 
arousing  the  conscience  of  David  without  forfeiting  his 
friendship ;  he  had  been  able,  in  a  spirit  of  love  to  the  mon- 
arch, to  preserve  his  fidelity  to  the  monarch's  God ;  and 
now,  with  a  heart  heaving  with  an  emotion  that  resembled 
the  after-swell  which  a  storm  always  leaves  behind,  he  re- 
tired, we  may  believe,  to  pray  to  his  heavenly  Master  for  the 
poor  spirit-stricken  penitent  whom  he  had  left  in  such  dis- 
tress. To  the  same  God,  we  may  be  sure,  David  himself 
repaired ;  and  perhaps  it  was  just  then,  in  the  first  access  of 
his  deep  self-abasement  and  shame,  that  he  wrote  that  Psalm 
which  has  come  weeping  down  through  the  centuries,  and 
been  in  them  all  the  liturgy  of  repenting  sinners.  Begin- 


284  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ning  with  a  cry  for  mercy,  he  makes  the  most  unqualified 
acknowledgment  of  his  sin;  and  realizing  more  than  he 
had  ever  done  before  the  deep  depravity  of  heart  which  his 
transgression  revealed,  he  makes  this  earnest  request,  "  Cre- 
ate in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God,  and  renew  a  right  spirit 
within  me."  He  longs  for  a  restoration  of  the  joy  of  salva- 
tion, and  at  last,  as  if  his  prayer  had  been  already  answer- 
ed, he  concludes  with  a  strain  of  chastened  joy,  which  seems 
to  me  like  the  sunshine  streaming  through  the  departing 
shower,  and  forming  to  the  eye  the  many-colored  bow  of  an- 
cient promise. 

In  this  spirit,  probably,  David  came  forth  from  his  closet 
with  deep  humility  indeed,  yet  with  the  fond  anticipation  of 
coming  brightness.  But  not  long  was  he  permitted  to  be  at 
rest.  Nathan's  last  words  to  him  had  a  forecast  of  evil,  as 
well  as  an  assurance  of  pardon.  Here  they  are  :  "The  Lord 
also  hath  put  away  thy  sin ;  thou  shalt  not  die.  Howbeit, 
because  by  this  deed  thou  hast  given  great  occasion  to  the 
enemies  of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme,  the  child  also  that  is  born 
unto  thee  shall  surely  die."  Speedily  was  this  prediction  ful- 
filled. "The  Lord 'struck  the  child."  Not  that  there  was  any 
miracle  here ;  but  with  startling  suddenness  some  one  of 
those  ailments  to  which  little  ones  are  so  liable  came  upon 
him,  and  he  was  very  sick.  Tender-hearted  to  a  fault,  and 
dotingly  fond  at  all  times  of  his  children,  David  was  greatly 
distressed  by  this  event.  The  light  which  had  begun  to  play 
upon  his  countenance  disappeared,  and  he  was  filled  with  the 
deepest  grief.  Nor  is  it  difficult  to  account  for  this.  The 
sufferings  of  an  infant  are  always  most  saddening  to  witness. 
The  helpless  look  of  the  little  patient ;  the  pitiful  wail ;  the 
labored  breathing ;  the  constant  restlessness ;  all  combine 
to  make  the  spectacle  of  its  anguish  most  affecting  to  any 
beholder :  how  much  more  to  those  who  call  him  their  own  ? 
Nor  is  this  all.  In  the  case  of  little  children,  we  are  well- 


THE  BEREAVEMENT.  285 

nigh  powerless  to  relieve  them.  They  can  not  tell  us  how 
they  feel.  We  are  largely  in  the  dark  as  to  the  meaning  of 
the  symptoms  that  appear ;  and  medical  science,  always  a 
matter  of  considerable  uncertainty,  is  peculiarly  experiment- 
al in  infantile  diseases.  Hence  the  agony  of  a  parent  beside 
a  dying  infant's  cot.  Each  pleading  look  of  the  upturned 
eye  goes  like  a  dart  to  the  mother's  heart,  while  the  con- 
vulsive start  or  tremor  sends  a  thrill  of  anguish  through  the 
father's  frame.  But  over  and  above  these  natural  and  or- 
dinary causes  of  sorrow  for  an  infant's  sufferings,  there  were 
in  David's  case  certain  peculiar  ingredients  of  bitterness. 
Nathan  had  specially  connected  all  the  pangs  of  his  child 
with  his  own  sin.  It  is  a  mystery  that  any  infant,  innocent 
as  it  is  of  actual  transgression,  should  suffer  at  all ;  and  some- 
times the  dark  shadow  which  that  mystery  projects  may  in- 
crease the  sadness  of  the  afflicted  parent.  But  in  David's 
case,  whatever  mystery  there  might  be  about  the  question 
why  the  child  was  made  to  suffer  for  his  guilt,  there  was 
none  about  the  fact.  Nathan  had  made  that  perfectly  plain 
to  him.  Hence  every  quiver  of  pain  the  infant  gave  would 
be  a  new  needle-point  thrust  into  his  own  conscience,  sting- 
ing him  with  sharpest  remorse.  For  seven  days  this  illness 
lasted,  and  David  betook  himself  to  his  old  solace  :  he  pray- 
ed to  God  ;  yea,  he  "  fasted,  and  went  in,  and  lay  all  night 
upon  the  earth."  We  like  to  read  these  words,  for  they  tell 
us  that  David,  though  an  erring  son  of  God,  was  yet  a  son. 
A  godless  man  would  have  been  driven  farther  from  Jehovah 
by  these  troubles,  and  might  have  been  led  to  make  procla- 
mation of  his  utter  atheism ;  but  David  went  to  God.  The 
more  heavily  he  felt  the  rod,  the  nearer  he  crept  to  him  who 
used  it.  He  fled  from  God  to  God.  He  hid  himself  from  God 
in  God.  This  shows  that  his  sin  was  out  of  the  usual  course 
of  his  nature.  It  was  like  the  deflection  of  the  needle,  due  to 
certain  causes,  which  at  the  time  he  permitted  to  have  influ- 


286  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ence  over  him  ;  but,  these  causes  removed,  his  old  polarity 
of  soul  returned,  and  in  his  time  of  trouble  he  called  on  Je- 
hovah. This  was  his  habit.  Repeatedly  in  his  Psalms  has 
he  employed  language  which  clearly  indicates  that  God  was 
regarded  by  him  as  a  strong  rock,  whereunto,  in  time  of  trial, 
he  continually  resorted.  Thus  we  have  him  saying,  on  one 
occasion,  of  his  enemies  :  "  For  my  love  they  are  my  adver- 
saries :  but  I  give  myself  unto  prayer ;"  and  again,  "  From 
the  end  of  the  earth  will  I  cry  unto  thee,  when  my  heart  is 
overwhelmed :  lead  me  to  the  rock  that  is  higher  than  I." 

It  does  not  seem  that  any  one  of  his  Psalms  was  com- 
posed on  this  occasion,  yet  there  are  in  some  of  them  strains 
which  might  well  enough  have  arisen  from  the  recollection 
of  his  experiences  in  connection  with  this  infant's  death. 
Such,  for  example,  are  these :  "O  Lord,  rebuke  me  not  in  thine 
anger,  neither  chasten  me  in  thy  hot  displeasure !  Have 
mercy  upon  me,  O  Lord ;  for  I  am  weak.  O  Lord,  heal 
me ;  for  my  bones  are  vexed.  My  soul  is  also  sore  vexed  : 
but  thou,  O  Lord,  how  long?  Return,  O  Lord,  deliver  my 
soul :  oh !  save  me  for  thy  mercies'  sake."*  But  not  for  him- 
self alone  did  he  thus  make  supplication.  He  besought  God 
for  the  child.  Here  is  a  great  boldness  of  faith  and  of 
request,  which  startles  us  almost  by  its  importunity.  Had 
not  Nathan  said  the  child  should  surely  die  ?  yet  here  David 
pleads  for  his  life,  saying, "  Who  can  tell  whether  God  will  be 
gracious  to  me,  that  the  child  may  live  ?"  Why  is  this  ?  Was 
it  because  David  did  not  believe  Nathan's  words  ?  No,  but 
because  he  had  unbounded  faith  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer ; 
and  though  in  the  present  instance  the  specific  object  which 
he  asked  was  denied  him,  we  must  not  suppose  that  it  was  so 
because  his  prayer  was  displeasing  to  God ;  for  just  a  simi- 
lar prayer  offered  by  Hezekiah,  after  his  death  was  solemnly 

*  Fsa.  vi.,  1-4. 


THE  BEREAVEMENT.  287 

foretold  by  Isaiah,  was  the  means  of  lengthening  out  his  days 
by  fifteen  years.  So,  too,  after  Jonah's  unqualified  procla- 
mation of  Nineveh's  destruction,  the  inhabitants  rose  and  be- 
took themselves  to  prayer,  saying,  just  like  David  here,  "Who 
can  tell  if  God  will  turn  and  repent,  and  turn  away  from  his 
fierce  anger,  that  we  perish  not  ?"  and  their  cry  was  heard. 
Hence  we  dare  not  say  that  David  was  wrong  in  making  this 
request.  And  we  can  only  marvel  at  the  faith  and  child-like 
regard  for  God  which  the  making  of  it  evinced.  Modern 
men  of  science  make  great  difficulty  about  offering  prayer, 
the  granting  of  which  seems  to  go  against  the  physical  laws 
of  God's  universe.  But  these  ancient  suppliants  felt  no  such 
difficulty.  They  were  not  afraid  even  to  pray  against  the 
coming  of  that  which  God  had  affirmed  would  come.  Not 
even  moral  difficulties  stood  in  their  way.  And  they  were 
right,  for  there  is  always  this  "Who  can  tell;"  and  there  is, 
besides,  in  God  the  fatherly  heart  to  which  no  real  son  of  his 
can  ever  make  appeal  entirely  in  vain. 

The  child  died,  and  the  servants  of  the  king,  with  a  real 
delicacy  of  heart,  and  with  genuine  consideration  for  his  feel- 
ings, were  afraid  to  tell  him  that  all  was  over.  But  they 
need  not  have  been  so  timid  ;  for,  though  exceedingly  honor- 
able to  them,  the  fear  lest  the  knowledge  of  the  child's  death 
should  thoroughly  unman  the  king,  proceeded  from  ignorance 
of  his  true  character.  He  knew  that  in  the  case  of  an  infant, 
when  death  comes,  the  time  for  fasting  and  grieving  is  over, 
and  so  he  arose  and  washed,  and  anointed  himself,  and  went 
into  the  house  of  God  and  worshiped ;  "then  he  came  to  his 
own  house ;  and  when  he  required,  they  set  bread  before  him, 
and  he  did  eat."  Astonished  at  his  behavior,  his  servants 
asked  for  an  explanation.  He  gave  this  noble  answer,  evi- 
dencing at  once  the  strength  of  his  character  and  the  firm- 
ness of  his  faith  in  the  future  life  :  "  While  the  child  was  yet 
alive,  I  fasted  and  wept :  for  I  said,  Who  can  tell  whether 


288  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

God  will  be  gracious  to  me,  that  the  child  may  live  ?  But 
now  he  is  dead,  wherefore  should  I  fast  ?  can  I  bring  him 
back  again  ?  I  shall  go  to  him,  but  he  shall  not  return  to 
me."  Here  was  true  resignation.  Here  was  strong  faith. 
Here  was  a  holy  and  a  glorious  hope — alike  for  the  living 
and  the  dead — and  in  the  assurance  of  future  and  eternal 
reunion  before  the  throne  he  was  comforted. 

For  when  the  royal  mourner  says,  "  I  shall  go  to  him," 
we  must  not  so  empty  his  words  of  all  meaning  as  to  sup- 
pose that  he  refers  simply  to  the  grave.  What  comfort  was 
there  in  the  mere  idea  of  having  his  body  laid  beside  the 
dust  of  his  infant  ?  That  was  not  a  "  going  to  him  "  in  any 
sense  that  could  give  the  least  satisfaction  to  his  afflicted 
heart.  Hence  his  language  implies  far  more  than  that,  and 
intimates  that  he  had  a  firm  conviction  of  his  child's  con- 
tinued existence  and  present  happiness ;  while  at  the  same 
time  he  cherished  for  himself  the  hope  of  entering  in  due 
season  into  the  enjoyment  of  similar  felicity.  David's  resig- 
nation, therefore,  was  not  a  mere  stoical  submission  to  the 
inevitable,  still  less  was  it  a  stolid  insensibility ;  but  it  was 
the  result  of  his  persuasion  of  the  happiness  of  his  depart- 
ed child,  and  of  his  humble  hope  of  joining  him  therein. 
Like  Paul  Gerhardt,  the  prince  of  German  hymnologists,  he 
might  have  sung : 

"  Oh  that  I  could  but  watch  afar, 

And  hearken  but  a  while 
To  that  sweet  song  that  hath  no  jar, 

And  see  his  heavenly  smile, 
As  he  doth  praise  the  holy  God 
Who  made  him  pure  for  that  abode ; 
In  tears  of  joy  full  well  I  know 
This  burdened  heart  would  overflow  ! 

"And  I  should  say,  Stay  there,  my  son, 
My  wild  laments  are  o'er  ; 


THE  BEREAVEMENT.  289 

Oh  well  for  thee  that  thou  hast  won  : 

I  call  thee  back  no  more  ! 
But  come,  thou  fiery  chariot,  come, 
And  bear  me  swiftly  to  that  home 
Where  he  with  many  a  loved  one  dwells, 
And  evermore  of  gladness  tells. 

"  Then  be  it  as  my  Father  wills, 

I  will  not  weep  for  thee  : 
Thou  livest,  joy  thy  spirit  fills, 

Pure  sunshine  thou  dost  see — 
The  sunshine  of  eternal  rest : 
Abide,  my  son,  where  thou  art  blest : 
I  with  our  friends  will  onward  fare, 
And,  when  God  wills,  shall  find  thee  there." 

I  can  not  pass  from  this  subject  without  endeavoring,  while 
our  interest  is  still  fresh  in  it,  to  embody  its  practical  teach- 
ing in  a  few  particulars.  Notice,  then,  in  the  first  place,  that 
the  illness  and  death  of  little  children  may  be  intimately 
connected  with  the  conduct  and  spiritual  history  of  the  par- 
ents. No  doubt  they  belong  to  a  tainted  race,  and  come 
into  the  world  with  the  sentence  hanging  over  them,  "  Dust 
thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return."  But,  over  and 
above  the  evidence  which  their  death  furnishes  of  their  con- 
nection with  Adam,  we  see  from  the  case  before  us,  that  it 
may  also  be  in  some  way  or  other  caused  or  connected  with 
the  character  of  their  immediate  parents.  Far  be  it  from 
me  to  say,  that  whenever  infants  die,  there  must  have  been 
some  foregoing  iniquity  in  father  or  mother  to  cause  it,  like 
as  it  was  in  the  history  before  us.  It  is  not  for  man  to  as- 
sume the  prerogative  of  God,  and  positively  assert  in  any 
case  what  Nathan,  as  God's  prophet,  asserted  here.  But 
still,  God's  providence  is  conducted  on  moral  principles,  and 
the  death  of  infants  is  one  way  in  which  he  may  either  visit 
parents  with  the  penal  consequences  of  their  sin,  or  lead 
them  to  thoughtfulness,  and  quicken  their  spiritual  life.  And 

13 


290  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

when  such  events  occur  in  our  own  family  history,  it  becomes 
us  to  look  well  into  our  own  hearts  and  see  if  we  can  dis- 
cover what  God's  design  in  the  dispensation  is.  It  may  be 
that  we  have  been  allowing  the  things  of  this  world  to  usurp 
too  large  a  portion  of  our  attention,  or  to  intrude  into  the  sa- 
cred  domain  of  the  heart,  where  God  alone  should  reign  ;  and 
he  takes  this  plan  to  arrest  us,  and  compel  us  to  face  eter- 
nity, with  its  infinitely  momentous  things.  Perhaps  we  may 
have  been  permitting  ourselves  to  become  enslaved  by  some 
degrading  habit,  flattering  ourselves  all  the  while  that  there 
is  no  guilt  in  it,  and  that  when  we  please  we  can  break  away 
from  it ;  and  he  sends  the  death-angel  for  our  little  one,  as 
he  sent  Nathan  to  David,  to  stir  our  consciences  into  activ- 
ity, to1  show  ourselves  to  us,  to  awaken  us  to  penitence,  and 
to  bring  us  back  to  the  paths  of  purity  and  of  liberty.  Or, 
yet  again,  we  may  be  ourselves  unconverted,  and,  as  the 
surest  means  of  engaging  our  hearts  to  heavenly  things,  God 
takes  the  little  one  who  is  the  light  of  our  eyes  to  heaven. 
Very  touchingly  is  this  view  presented  in  the  life  of  Sandy 
Robertson,  by  Dr.  Guthrie,  in  "  Lost  and  Found."  This  poor 
boy,  who  had  been  reclaimed  by  means  of  the  ragged  school, 
was  lying  dying,  and  was  greatly  concerned  about  his  god- 
less mother.  He  often  implored  her  to  seek  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  ;  and  one  day  telling  Dr.  Guthrie  of  a  visit  paid  to 
him  by  the  Rev.  James  Robertson,  of  Newington,  whose  con- 
versation and  prayers  he  much  enjoyed,  he  said,  " '  Oh,  how 
nice  he  spoke  to  my  mother  !  On  going  away,  he  said  to  her, 
'  Now,  before  I  go,  I  will  tell  you  a  story.  There  was  a  man 
that  had  a  flock  of  sheep,  which  he  wished  to  remove  from 
one  field  to  another,  and  better  pasture.  There  was  one 
sheep  refused  to  go,  and  ran  hither  and  thither.  The  man 
did  not  stop  to  follow  that  sheep,  to  drive  and  force  it  through 
the  gate.  No,  but  he  took  her  lamb  and  laid  it  in  his  bosom, 
and  carried  it  in  his  arms,  and  the  sheep  followed  her  bleat- 


THE  BEREAVEMENT.  291 

ing  lamb,  and  was  soon  safe  and  happy  in  the  sweet,  rich 
pasture.'  "  So  it  has  often  been,  and  the  words  of  the  proph- 
et have  had  a  new  verification,  "A  little  child  shall  lead 
them."  But  why  need  I  enlarge  here?  As  with  afflictions 
of  other  kinds,  the  death  of  infants  may  have  a  corrective,  a 
restorative,  or  a  preventive  power  on  the  parents  and  other 
members  of  the  family  to  which  they  belong,  and  so  their 
sufferings  have  in  them  not  a  little  of  that  vicarious  element 
which,  in  a  unique  and  mysterious  degree,  distinguished  the 
sufferings  and  death  of  Christ.  Hence,  so  far  from  saying, 
when  a  little  one  is  removed,  "Oh,  it  is  only  a  child,"  there 
are  elements  about  such  a  dispensation  which  ought  to  lead 
us  to  look  upon  it  as  peculiarly  solemn,  carrying  in  it  most 
needful  discipline  and  most  salutary  influence. 

But,  in  the  second  place,  we  learn  from  this  touching  epi- 
sode in  David's  life,  that  the  surest  solace  under  the  afflic- 
tion and  death  of  infants  is  in  God.  David  prayed,  and 
though  the  life  of  the  child  was  not  given  to  his  tearful  en- 
treaties, it  would  be  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  his  supplica- 
tion was  unanswered.  The  reply  came  in  the  shape  of  that 
strength  which  enabled  him  to  become  at  once  so  calm,  and 
that  faith  which  helped  him  to  manifest  such  thorough  res- 
ignation. It  would  neither  have  been  good  for  David  him- 
self, nor  for  the  people  over  whom  he  ruled,  if  his  prayer  had 
been  literally  granted.  Hence,  in  that  form  in  which  he 
presented  his  petition,  it  was  refused ;  but  it  was  good  for 
him  to  draw  near  to  God  for  all  that,  and  when  we  see  him 
going  up  with  such  composure  to  the  house  of  God,  we  learn 
that  he  had  not  prayed  in  vain.  His  tears  of  weakness  had 
brought  down  God's  strength.  His  earnest  cry  had  received 
an  answer  similar  to  that  vouchsafed  to  the  repeated  prayer 
of  Paul :  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee.  My  strength  is 
made  perfect  in  weakness."  Oh,  what  should  we  do  in  times 
of  family  distress,  if  we  could  not  lay  our  case  before  the 


292  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Lord  ?  Blessed  solace  of  prayer !  the  tumult  of  the  spirit  is 
hushed  by  thy  soothing  influence ;  and  if  we  could  be  cast 
where  prayer  is  stifled,  and  supplication  impossible,  that 
were  to  our  miserable  souls  the  very  centre  of  hell.  In  all 
trials,  therefore,  and  especially  in  the  dark  hour  of  family  be- 
reavement, let  us  repair  to  "the  mercy-seat." 

Finally,  we  may  learn  from  David's  words  here,  that  we 
may  cherish  the  most  unwavering  assurance  of  the  salvation 
of  those  who  die  in  infancy.  Even  in  the  comparative  dark- 
ness of  the  Jewish  dispensation,  the  Psalmist  had  the  fullest 
persuasion  of  the  eternal  welfare  of  his  baby-boy ;  and,  un- 
der the  Gospel  economy,  there  are  many  things  revealed 
which  tend  to  make  the  doctrine  of  infant  salvation  per- 
fectly indubitable.  Not  to  refer  to  the  fact  that,  as  they 
have  committed  no  actual  transgressions,  little  children  do 
not  personally  deserve  condemnation,  and  may,  therefore, 
presumably  be  regarded  as  included  in  the  provisions  of 
the  covenant  of  grace,  there  are  certain  things  which  to  my 
mind  place  the  doctrine  to  which  I  refer  beyond  all  ques- 
tion. 

In  the  first  place,  there  seems  to  me  a  moral  impossibility 
involved  in  the  very  thought  of  infants  being  consigned  to 
perdition.  For  what  are  the  elements  in  the  punishment  of 
the  lost  ?  So  far  as  we  know,  they  are  these  two,  memory 
and  conscience.  But  in  an  infant  conscience  is  virtually 
non-existent.  Moral  agency  and  responsibility  have  not  yet 
been  developed,  and  so  there  can  be  no  such  thing  to  it  as 
remorse. 

Again  :  memory  has  nothing  of  guilt  in  an  infant's  life 
to  recall,  and  so  it  seems  to  me  to  be  utterly  impossible  to 
connect  retribution  of  any  sort  in  the  Other  world  with 
those  who  have  been  taken  from  the  present  in  the  stage 
of  infancy. 

But,  in  the  second  place,  there  are  positive  indications 


THE  BEREAVEMENT.  -293 

that  infants  are  included  in  the  work  of  Christ.  I  grant  at 
once  that  there  is  no  one  passage  which  in  so  many  words 
makes  the  assertion  that  all  who  die  in  infancy  are  eternally 
saved ;  but  then  we  may  not  wonder  at  the  absence  of  such 
a  declaration,  since  it  would  have  been  liable  to  great  abuse; 
and  we  do  not  need  to  regret  that  we  have  it  not,  because 
there  are  many  passages  which  very  clearly  imply  it.  Thus 
Jesus  said  of  infants,  "  Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
This  does  not  mean  only,  as  some  would  have  us  to  believe, 
that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  consists  of  persons  resembling 
little  children.  The  word  translated  "  of  such  "  has  evident- 
ly a  definite  reference  to  children  themselves,  and  has  else- 
where been  employed  in  that  way  by  the  Saviour  himself. 
Thus,  when  he  says,  "  The  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when 
the  true  worshipers  shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and 
in  truth  :  for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship  him,"  he 
clearly  means,  the  Father  seeketh  these  to  worship  him.  I 
might  quote  others  to  the  like  effect,  but  that  will  suffice  to 
show  that  the  phrase  "  Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven," 
is  equivalent  to  "Of  these  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  This 
view  of  the  matter  is  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  the  Saviour 
gives  these  words  as  a  reason  for  his  taking  up  little  chil- 
dren into  his  arms;  for  if  the  ground  of  his  procedure  were 
simply  that  the  adult  subjects  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  are 
child-like,  the  same  sort  of  reason  might  have  led  him  to 
take  up  lambs  in  his  arms  and  to  bless  them  ;  inasmuch  as 
the  adult  members  of  his  kingdom  should  resemble  lambs 
in  some  respects  just  as  really  as  they  should  resemble  chil- 
dren in  others.  Some,  however,  would  interpret  the  words 
on  which  I  am  now  commenting  by  these  others,  uttered  by 
Jesus  on  another  occasion :  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  whoso- 
ever shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  he 
shall  not  enter  therein ;"  as  if  that  expression  implied  "  with 
a  child-like  disposition ;"  but  that  is  not  the  construction  of 


294  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

the  words.  Let  the  ellipsis  be  supplied,  and  then  it  will  be 
seen  that  even  this  expression  bears  out  our  view,  for  it 
reads  thus :  "  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  as  a  little  child  receives  it ;"  and  this  confirms  our 
interpretation  of  the  other  passage.  But  some  may  allege 
that  the  phrase  "  the  kingdom  of  heaven  "  does  not  refer  to 
future  glory,  but  to  Christ's  kingdom  upon  earth ;  and  to 
these  we  reply :  True,  it  does  refer  to  Christ's  kingdom  upon 
earth,  but  it  does  so  only  because  that  is  a  province  of  the 
one  great  kingdom  which,  having  Him  as  its  head,  stretches 
into  eternity.  That  it  refers  to  the  kingdom  on  earth,  is  our 
warrant  for  receiving  little  children  into  the  Church  below ; 
and  that  it  refers  to  the  kingdom  in  heaven — for  the  king- 
doms are  but  one — is  the  ground  of  our  hope  in  the  salva- 
tion of  little  children  eternally. 

Then,  passing  from  the  domain  of  argument,  we  may  af- 
firm that  the  whole  tone  and  spirit  of  the  Gospel  favors  the 
idea  of  infant  salvation.  The  Saviour  was  peculiarly  tender 
to  the  little  ones.  It  was  foretold  regarding  him  that  he 
should  carry  the  lambs  in  his  bosom  ;  and  the  infinite  suffi- 
ciency of  his  grand  atonement  would  seem  to  me  shorn  of 
half  of  its  glory,  if  it  were  not  available  for  little  children. 
Let  us,  therefore,  take  to  ourselves,  without  let  or  abate- 
ment of  any  sort,  the  rich  consolation  which  this  doctrine 
affords.  Let  the  bereaved  parents  among  us  dry  our  tears. 
As  the  good  Archbishop  Leighton  has  it,  "  Our  children  have 
but  gone  an  hour  or  two  sooner  to  bed,  as  children  used 
to  do,  and  we  are  undressing  to  follow,  and  the  more  we 
put  off  the  love  of  this  present  world,  and  all  things  superflu- 
ous beforehand,  we  shall  have  the  less  to  do  when  we  lie 
down." 

Let  us  consider  to  whom  they  have  gone.  They  have 
been  taken  to  the  arms  of  Jesus,  and  to  the  bright  glory  of 
the  heavenly  state.  Nothing  now  can  mar  their  felicity,  or 


THE  BEREAVEMENT.  295 

dim  the  lustre  of  their  joy,  or  damp  the  ardor  of  their  song ; 
and  could  they  speak  to  us  from  their  abode  of  bliss,  they 
would  say  to  us,  "  Weep  not  for  us,  but  weep  for  yourselves, 
that  you  are  not  here  to  share  our  happiness." 

Let  us  consider  from  what  they  have  been  taken.  They 
have  been  removed  from  earth,  with  its  pains  and  privations, 
its  sufferings  and  sorrows.  Looking  back  upon  our  own 
checkered  histories,  could  we  contemplate  without  a  feeling 
of  grief  the  idea  of  our  children  passing  through  such  trials 
as  those  which  have  met  us  in  the  world  ?  Would  we  wish 
that  their  hearts  should  be  wrung  as  ours  have  been  by  the 
harshness  of  an  unfeeling  world,  or  by  the  ingratitude  of 
those  whom  they  had  served.  Nay,  in  view  of  the  pang  of 
our  bereavement,  would  we  wish  that  a  similar  sorrow  should 
be  theirs  ?  Yet  does  not  their  continuance  in  the  world  in- 
volve in  it  the  endurance  of  all  these  things  ?  and  ought  it 
not,  therefore,  to  be  a  matter  of  thankfulness  that  they  have 
reached  heaven  without  having  tasted  the  full  bitterness  of 
this  world's  woes  ?  Above  all,  can  we  contemplate  the  spir- 
itual dangers  with  which  the  world  is  environed,  and  not  feel 
grateful  that  our  departed  little  ones  are  now  eternally  safe 
from  them  ?  Let  us  think  of  the  temptations  that  have  beset 
us,  and  of  the  dreadful  battles  which  we  have  had  with  them ; 
and  how  near  we  were  to  being  conquered  by  them,  and  then 
let  us  say  if  in  this  view  we  can  feel  otherwise  than  glad  that 
they  have  gained  the  victory  without  the  perils  and  hard- 
ships of  the  fight.  Perhaps,  had  they  been  exposed  to  these 
dangers,  they  would  have  fallen  before  them  ;  perhaps,  had 
they  lived,  they  would  have  grown  up  only  to  fill  our  hearts 
with  sadness,  and  to  bring  our  heads  with  sorrow  to  the 
grave ;  but  all  this  is  now  impossible,  for  they  are  safe  with 
Jesus.  It  is  hard  to  part  with  our  children,  but  the  death  of 
our  little  ones  is  not  the  heaviest  calamity  that  could  befall 
us.  A  living  cross  is  heavier  than  a  dead  one.  And  the 


296  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

sadness  of  David's  soul  over  this  little  one  was  as  nothing, 
in  comparison  with  the  agony  that  rent  his  heart  when  Ab- 
salom chased  him  from  his  palace,  and  went  down  into  a 
hopeless  tomb. 

Let  us  consider,  again,  for  what  our  little  ones  have  been 
taken.  Perhaps  we  have  been  wandering  away  from  Christ, 
and  he  has  taken  this  way  to  bring  us  back.  Perhaps  we 
have  never  known  him,  and  he  has  taken  this  way  of  intro- 
ducing himself  to  us,  coming  to  us  as  he  did  to  his  followers 
of  old,  over  the  very  waves  of  our  trouble,  and  saying  to  us, 
"  It  is  I,  be  not  afraid."  Perhaps  some  other  member  of 
our  family  was  to  be  led  through  this  affliction  to  the  Lord, 
and  thus  one  little  one  was  taken  from  us  for  a  season,  that 
both  might  abide  with  us  forever  in  the  heavenly  land.  And 
if  this  should  be  so,  can  we,  dare  we  repine  ? 

Let  us  consider,  finally,  how  this  bereavement  over  which 
we  mourn  will  appear  to  us  when  we  come  to  die  ourselves. 
I  have  seen  mothers  and  fathers  not  a  few  at  that  solemn 
hour,  but  never  one  have  I  heard  expressing  anxiety  for  the 
little  children  who  had  gone  before  them.  The  great  con- 
cern, then,  was  for  those  they  were  leaving  behind.  The 
Lord  thus  is  afflicting  us  now,  that  our  sorrow  may  be  miti- 
gated at  the  last.  Let  us  think  of  these  things,  and  then  the 
bereavement  of  our  little  ones  will  seem  to  be,  as  it  in  reali- 
ty is,  a  token  of  love,  and  not  of  anger. 

"  Oh,  not  in  cruelty,  not  in  wrath, 

The  reaper  came  that  day ; 
'Twas  an  angel  visited  the  green  earth 
And  took  the  flowers  away." 

But  the  appropriation  to  ourselves  of  all  these  consolations 
implies  that  we  are  ourselves  journeying  heavenward.  Da- 
vid says,  "  I  shall  go  to  him  !"  Bereaved  parents,  are  you 
advancing  toward  heaven  ?  If  you  are  not,  then  none  of 


THE  BEREAVEMENT.  297 

these  comforts  are  yours.  Your  little  ones  shall  indeed  be 
saved,  but  you  yourselves  shall  never  be  reunited  to  them. 
A  great  gulf  shall  be  eternally  fixed  between  you  and  the 
home  which  they  have  entered.  Must  this  be  so  ?  You  re- 
member how  you  felt  when  you  laid  them  in  the  tomb,  and 
how,  for  the  time,  you  were  stirred  up  to  think  of  God  and 
Christ ;  but  these  emotions  are  gone  now,  and  you  are  worse 
than  ever,  yea,  living  in  folly  and  sin.  Let  the  memory  of 
your  departed  little  ones  this  night  stir  you  into  religious 
earnestness. 

Years  ago,  when  I  was  leaving  my  Liverpool  home  to  ful- 
fill an  engagement  in  the  city  of  Glasgow,  the  last  sight  on 
which  my  eye  rested  was  that  of  my  little  daughter  at  the 
window  in  her  grandmother's  arms.  As  the  carriage  drove 
me  away,  she  waved  her  hand  in  fond  and  laughing  glee,  and 
many  a  time  during  my  railway  ride  the  pleasant  vision  came 
up  before  my  memory,  and  filled  my  heart  with  joy.  I  nev- 
er saw  her  again  !  The  next  morning  a  telegram  stunned 
me  with  the  tidings  of  her  death;  and  now  that  earthly 
glimpse  of  her  has  been  idealized  and  glorified,  and  it  seems 
to  me  as  if  God  had  set  her  in  the  window  of  heaven  to 
beckon  me  upward  to  my  eternal  home.  I  would  not  give 
that  memory  for  all  the  gold  of  earth.  I  would  not  part 
with  the  inspiration  that  it  stirs  within  me  for  all  that  the 
world  could  bestow.  But,  my  bereaved  friends,  is  it  not 
true  of  you  also,  that  God  has  made  heaven  more  attract- 
ive to  you  by  reason  of  the  presence  of  your  little  ones 
in  it  ?  Will  you  not  yield  yourselves  to  the  influence  of 
this  celestial  magnetism  ?  See  how  their  angel  hands  are 
beckoning  you  upward ;  hark  how  the  very  song  they  used 
to  sing  with  infant  voice  comes  floating  down  into  your 
ears: 

"  Come  to  this  happy  land, 
Come,  come  away !" 

13* 


298  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Oh,  do  not  resist  the  appeal,  but  give  yourselves  henceforth 
unreservedly  to  Jesus,  and  make  this  your  prayer  : 

"  Lord  God  the  Spirit !  purify 

tyty  thoughts,  bind  fast  my  life  to  thee ; 
So  shall  I  meet  my  babes  on  high, 
Though  they  may  not  return  to  me."* 

*  I  can  not  forbear  referring  here  to  a  work  on  this  subject,  which  is 
a  perfect  treasure-house  of  consolation  to  those  who  have  suffered  from 
this  domestic  sorrow.  It  is  out  of  sight  the  best  book  of  the  kind  which 
I  have  ever  seen.  The  title  is  "Words  of  Comfort  for  Parents  bereaved 
of  Little  Children."  Edited  by  William  Logan :  New  York,  Carter 
Brothers. 


XVII. 

THE  REVOLT  OF  ABSALOM. 
2  SAMUEL  xiii.,  1-16 ;  xiv. 

WITH  the  birth  of  Bath-sheba's  second  son,  a  gleam  of 
gladness  seems  to  have  shone  in  upon  David's  house. 
The  prophet  Nathan  intimated  that  the  child  was  an  object 
of  God's  peculiar  affection,  and  in  the  names  which  the  king 
bestowed  upon  him  we  may  see  some  indications  of  return- 
ing happiness,  for  he  called  him  Solomon,  the  peaceful,  and 
Jedidiah,  the  beloved  of  the  Lord.  But  the  dark  cloud  of 
retribution  still  hovered  over  the  palace,  and  ere  long  there 
flashed  from  it  such  lightning  bolts  of  judgment  as  humbled 
the  monarch  in  the  dust,  and  tended  to  bring  his  gray  hairs 
with  sorrow  to  the  grave.  The  particulars  are  detailed  with 
painful  minuteness  in  the  chapters  which  now  lie  before  us ; 
but,  without  entering  upon  them  all,  it  will  be  enough  that  we 
indicate  the  more  important  of  them,  and  draw  from  them 
the  lessons  for  the  teaching  of  which  the  harrowing  history 
has  been  here  preserved. 

The  physical  beauty  which  distinguished  the  sons  of  Jesse 
seems  in  David's  family  to  have  specially  descended  to  his 
children  by  Maacah,  the  daughter  of  Talmai,  the  heathen 
King  of  Geshur ;  for  it  is  recorded  of  Absalom  that  "  in  all  Is- 
rael there  was  none  so  much  to  be  praised  for  his  beauty; 
from  the  sole  of  his  foot  even  to  the  crown  of  his  head  there 
was  no  blemish  in  him  ;"  and  of  his  sister  Tamar  it  is  said 
that  she  was  fair  to  look  upon.  Unfortunately  for  her,  this 
personal  attractiveness  made  her  the  object  of  an  unholy 
passion  on  the  part  of  her  half-brother  Amnon,  who,  having 


300  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

accomplished  his  purpose,  aided  by  the  diabolical  assistance 
of  an  unprincipled  man,  who  seems  to  have  been  permanent- 
ly connected  with  the  court,  turned  her  away  dishonored  from 
his  door.  Just  then,  with  ashes  on  her  head,  and  her  gar- 
ments rent,  and  crying  bitterly,  she  was  met  by  her  brother 
Absalom,  who,  discovering  the  reason  of  her  sorrow,  counsel- 
ed her  to  silence,  and  took  her  to  his  own  home,  where  she 
remained  desolate.  Of  course  a  scandal  of  this  sort  was  sure 
to  be  talked  about,  and  tidings  of  it  came  at  length  to  Da- 
vid's ear.  He  was  very  wroth ;  but  that  was  not  all.  His 
heart  must  have  been  deeply  distressed  by  the  knowledge  of 
his  son's  great  wickedness,  while  yet  the  consciousness  of  his 
own  similar  iniquity  kept  him  from  publicly  punishing  him 
for  his  crime.  The  penalty  of  this  transgression,  according 
to  the  Mosaic  law,  was  death  ;  yet,  if  that  were  by  him  to  be 
insisted  on  in  the  case  of  his  son,  where  would  he  be  him- 
self? So,  weak  from  the  consciousness  of  his  own  trespass, 
he  was  constrained  to  take  no  notice  of  this  revolting  crime, 
though  we  may  be  sure  that  he  must  have  keenly  felt  the  an- 
guish of  soul  which  every  right-hearted  parent  experiences 
in  seeing  the  wrong-doing  of  his  children. 

The  inaction  of  David,  however,  only  stirred  up  Absalom 
the  more  resolutely  to  seek  revenge ;  for,  since  her  father 
took  no  notice  of  such  a  deed,  it  devolved  on  him,  as  the  full 
brother  of  Tamar,  to  espouse  her  cause.  Nor  need  we  won- 
der that  he  should  have  been  indignant  at  the  treatment  to 
which  she  had  been  subjected.  We  should  have  thought  less 
of  him  if  he  had  continued  to  be  as  friendly  with  Amnon  as 
before.  But  though  Oriental  custom  may  be  pleaded  in  ex- 
tenuation of  his  after-conduct,  to  which  we  have  a  parallel 
in  that  of  Simeon  and  Levi,  in  circumstances  very  similar 
to  those  before  us,  yet  he  had  no  right,  under  the  Mosaic  in- 
stitute, to  take  the  law  into  his  own  hands,  still  less  to  exe- 
cute it  in  so  cunning  and  revengeful  a  spirit  as  that  which  he 


THE  REVOLT  OF  ABSALOM.  301 

evinced.  It  seems  that  he  had  a  sheep-farm  at  Baal-hazor, 
and  at  the  end  of  two  years  he  invited  all  the  king's  sons  to 
the  great  festival  of  the  sheep-shearing.  He  wished  David 
also  to  be  present,  but  the  monarch  declined.  And  when  he 
desired  that  Amnon  should  be  permitted  to  go,  the  king  at 
first  demurred,  fearing  the  consequences ;  but  at  length,  won 
by  the  entreaties  of  his  favorite  son,  and  under  the  influence 
of  that  fatal  irresolution  which  marked  his  treatment  of  his 
children  in  later  years,  he  gave  a  reluctant  consent.  The  re- 
sult might  have  been  foreseen.  Amidst  the  dissipation  of  the 
feast,  the  servants  of  Absalom,  instigated  by  their  master, 
slew  Amnon,  and  the  fratricide  fled  for  refuge  to  the  court  of 
his  grandfather  at  Geshur,  while  messengers  hurried  to  Je- 
rusalem with  the  tidings  of  his  treacherous  deed.  "And  it 
came  to  pass  that  behold  the  king's  sons  came,  and  lifted  up 
their  voice  and  wept :  and  the  king  also  and  all  his  servants 
wept  very  sore."  Yes  : 

Sorrow  tracketh  wrong, 
As  echo  follows  song. 
On  !  on  !  on  !  on  ! 

"Verily  there  is  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth."  And 
in  the  ordering  of  his  providence,  not  less  than  in  the  state- 
ments of  his  Word,  we  see  that  sin  can  not  go  unpunished. 
Here  is  another  sheaf  of  that  bitter  harvest  of  corruption 
that  David  was  made  to  reap  from  the  field  wherein  he  sow- 
ed to  the  flesh.  His  lovely  and  beloved  daughter  made 
desolate ;  his  eldest  son  murdered  amidst  the  revelry  of  a 
drunken  banquet ;  and  Absalom,  the  pride  of  his  palace  and 
the  darling  of  his  heart,  the  murderer,  self-exiled  from  his 
father's  house  and  from  his  native  land.  How  true  it  is  that 
"  the  way  of  transgressors  is  hard." 

For  three  long  years  Absalom  remained  at  Geshur.     Dur- 
ing this  interval  David's  grief  for  Amnon  abated,  but  his 


302  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

heart  went  out  in  longing  after  Absalom.  He  did  not  recall 
him  to  his  court  indeed,  for  that  would  have  been  equivalent 
to  saying  that  the  deed  of  which  he  had  been  guilty  was  of  a 
trifling  character ;  but,  as  the  after  events  indicate,  he  would 
have  been  glad  of  any  pretext  which,  without  seeming  to 
outrage  justice,  would  have  enabled  him  to  bring  him  back. 
This  state  of  feeling  he  could  not  hide  from  his  intimate  as- 
sociates, and  Joab,  seeking  at  once  to  serve  David  and  Absa- 
lom, concocted  a  plan  by  which  the  latter  was  recalled.  He 
sent  a  wise  woman  from  Tekoah  in  before  the  king,  with  a 
feigned  case  of  difficulty,  which  in  some  of  its  leading  fea- 
tures bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  his  own  position  in  re- 
gard to  Absalom;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  prosecution  of  her 
suit,  David's  suspicions  were  so  aroused  that  he  said, "  Is  not 
the  hand  of  Joab  with  thee  in  all  this  ?"  Her  answer  reveal- 
ed the  whole  scheme,  and  the  issue  was  that  Joab  was  sent 
to  Geshur  to  bring  Absalom  back  to  Jerusalem.  Not  yet, 
however,  was  David  fully  reconciled  to  his  son ;  for  when  the 
youth  came  to  the  holy  city,  David  said, "  Let  him  turn  to  his 
own  house,  and  let  him  not  see  my  face." 

This  state  of  matters  lasted  for  two  years  more,  when,  Ab- 
salom's patience  being  exhausted,  he  sent  for  Joab.  The 
captain  of  the  host  thought  proper  twice  to  disregard  his 
urgent  entreaty;  and  this  proceeding  so  exasperated  Absa- 
lom that  he  ordered  his  servants  to  set  one  of  Joab's  barley- 
fields  on  fire.  This  act  of  destruction,  as  he  had  foreseen, 
brought  Joab  forthwith ;  and  in  reply  to  his  indignant  ques- 
tion, "Wherefore  have  thy  servants  set  my  field  on  fire?" 
Absalom  answered,  "  Behold,  I  sent  unto  thee,  saying,  Come 
hither,  that  I  may  send  thee  to  the  king,  to  say,  Wherefore 
am  I  come  from  Geshur  ?  it  had  been  good  for  me  to  have 
been  there  still :  now,  therefore,  let  me  see  the  king's  face ; 
and  if  there  be  any  iniquity  in  me,  let  him  kill  me." 

It  is  difficult,  at  first  sight,  to  account  for  the  conduct  of 


THE  REVOLT  OF  ABSALOM.  303 

Joab  here ;  for,  after  he  had  earnestly  exerted  himself  to 
procure  Absalom's  recall,  it  appears  strange  that  he  should 
have  been  so  indifferent  to  the  position  which  the  young 
man  was  made  by  his  father  to  occupy.  But  we  find  the 
explanation  in  the  fact  that  in  this,  as  in  all  other  things,  the 
crafty  and  unscrupulous  warrior  was  seeking  only  to  pro- 
mote his  own  interests.  He  had  obtained  a  great  ascend- 
ency over  David  by  his  complicity  in  the  murder  of  Uriah, 
and  by  making  the  monarch  believe  that  he  was  indispensa- 
ble to  him.  Now  he  desired  to  gain  a  similar  power  over 
Absalom.  This,  however,  could  only  be  done  by  laying  him 
under  some  great  obligation.  Hence  he  probably  kept  away 
from  the  young  man,  with  the  view  of  getting  him  to  come 
humbly  to  him  as  a  suppliant,  asking  the  favor  of  his  inter- 
cession with  the  king.  But  the  burning  of  his  field  let  him 
see  that  Absalom  was  made  of  sterner  stuff;  and  so,  in  or- 
der that  he  might  not  provoke  his  vengeance,  he  was  led  to 
do  for  him,  by  a  sort  of  compulsion,  that  which  he  had  in- 
tended to  do  only  when  he  was  urgently  entreated  for  it  as 
for  a  great  kindness.  By  his  influence  with  David,  he  easily 
effected  a  reconciliation  between  father  and  son ;  but,  on  the 
side  of  the  son  at  least,  it  was  but  a  hollow  thing,  after  all ; 
for,  from  the  moment  of  his  restoration  to  the  royal  favor, 
on  during  the  space  of  four  years,  Absalom  was  engaged  in 
making  preparations  for  that  revolt  which  at  one  time  threat- 
ened to  bring  the  reign  of  David  to  an  ignominious  end. 

Civil  war  is  always  a  terrible  calamity;  but  when  the 
standard  of  rebellion  is  raised  by  a  son  against  his  father, 
we  have  about  the  most  painful  form  of  strife  of  which  this 
earth  can  be  the  scene.  It  is  sad  to  have  an  enemy  of  one 
who  has  been  formerly  a  friend ;  but  that  he  whom  we  have 
fondled  in  our  arms  and  nestled  in  our  bosom,  and  whose 
first  lisping  utterances  have  been  in  the  attempt  to  call  us 
father,  should  live  to  be  at  deadly  feud  with  us,  and  to  at- 


304  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

tempt  our  destruction — this  is  misery  indeed ;  and  in  seek- 
ing to  realize  the  anguish  of  David  at  this  time,  we  think  of 
the  saying  which  the  great  dramatist  has  put  into  the  mouth 
of  the  old  British  king:  "  How  sharper  than  a  serpent's  tooth 
it  is  to  have  a  thankless  child ;"  or  of  those  lines  of  another 
poet,  which  he  penned  in  quite  another  connection,  but  are 
equally  appropriate  here : 

"  So  the  struck  eagle  stretch'd  upon  the  plain, 
No  more  through  rolling  clouds  to  soar  again, 
View'd  his  own  feather  on  the  fatal  dart, 
And  wing'd  the  shaft  that  quiver'd  in  his  heart ; 
Keen  were  his  pangs,  but  keener  far  to  feel 
He  nursed  the  pinion  which  impelled  the  steel ; 
While  the  same  plumage  that  had  warm'd  his  nest, 
Drank  the  last  life-drop  of  his  bleeding  breast." 

In  entering  upon  the  particulars  of  this  sad  episode  in 
David's  life,  there  are  two  questions  which  suggest  them- 
selves to  the  thoughtful  reader  of  the  narrative,  and  as  the 
settlement  of  these  will  greatly  help  us  to  understand  the 
whole  matter,  we  may  very  appropriately  now  consider  them. 
They  are  these — first :  How  came  Absalom  to  think  of  re- 
belling against  his  father  at  all  ?  and,  second  :  How  came  his 
revolt  to  gather  strength  so  rapidly  as  to  cause  David  to 
leave  Jerusalem,  and  to  prove  so  nearly  successful  ?  In  re- 
gard to  the  first  of  these  questions,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  there 
was  much  in  David's  treatment  of  Absalom,  looked  at  from 
his  son's  point  of  view,  to  cause  alienation  and  to  provoke 
antagonism.  We  are  allowed  in  the  narrative  to  see  how 
all  along  the  king's  heart  had  gone  out  after  Absalom ;  but 
the  youth  himself  knew  nothing  of  that.  He  might  have 
heard  that  Joab  had  to  resort  to  schemes  of  a  roundabout 
description  in  order  to  procure  his  recall,  and  he  certainly 
must  have  felt  that  there  was  no  cordial  reception  given 
him. 


THE  REVOLT  OF  ABSALOM.  305 

Now  while,  in  one  sense,  this  conduct  on  David's  part  was 
a  sort  of  homage  to  public  justice,  yet  in  another  it  was  nei- 
ther right  nor  politic.  It  was  not  right ;  for,  on  the  one  hand, 
if  Absalom  had  committed  a  crime,  he  ought  to  have  been 
punished  for  it ;  and  on  the  other,  if  there  was  ground  for  his 
recall  from  banishment,  there  was  also  ground  for  receiving 
him  at  court.  It  was  not  politic ;  for  it  could  not  but  put 
Absalom  into  a  position  of  antagonism  to  his  father,  and  the 
fretting  impatience  of  these  two  years  was  but  the  bitter  bud 
out  of  which  at  length  ripened  the  rebellion  of  which  we  are 
to  speak. 

Again,  Absalom  would  regard  himself  as  the  rightful  heir 
to  his  father's  throne.  Amnon,  the  eldest  son,  to  whom,  in 
conformity  with  all  Eastern  notions,  it  should  have  descend- 
ed, was  dead.  Chileab,  the  second,  seems  to  have  been  dead 
also ;  at  least,  his  name  drops  completely  out  of  the  history. 
Absalom  came  next,  and  perhaps  in  ordinary  circumstances 
he  might  have  been  content  to  wait  for  his  father's  death  be- 
fore urging  his  claim ;  but  certain  things  at  court  would  in- 
cite him  to  take  immediate  steps  to  further  his  own  interests. 
He  saw  that  the  influence  of  Bath-sheba  was  paramount. 
He  knew  that  Solomon  was  the  favorite  son  ;  and  the  decla- 
ration of  Nathan  that  he,  the  peaceable,  was  to  succeed  his 
father  could  not  be  unknown  to  him.  Hence  he  would  con- 
clude that,  if  he  was  ever  to  be  king,  it  could  only  be  by  some 
such  sudden  and  immediate  coup  d'etat  as  that  which  he  act- 
ually attempted.  Putting  these  things  together,  then,  and 
remembering,  besides,  that  there  was  no  spark  of  religious 
principle  in  the  breast  of  Absalom,  we  may  have  some  un- 
derstanding of  the  feelings  by  which  he  was  stirred,  and  the 
motives  by  which  he  was  actuated  in  raising  the  standard 
of  revolt  against  his  father. 

It  is  equally  easy  to  account  for  the  rapidity  with  which 
the  disaffection  spread,  and  the  strength  which  the  rebellion 


306  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

gained.  Absalom  had  great  personal  attractions.  This  may 
seem  a  matter  of  small  moment,  but,  in  reality,  it  had  an  im- 
mense effect.  Even  such  a  one  as  Samuel  was  not  proof 
against  the  influence  of  a  man's  outward  appearance,  and  we 
need  not  marvel,  therefore,  that  the  common  people  of  the 
land  should  be  specially  drawn  to  one  whose  beauty  was 
proverbial.  In  modern  times  we  know  that  the  personal  at- 
tractions of  the  Young  Pretender,  in  1745,  drew  perhaps  as 
many  to  his  army  as  did  the  cause  which  he  represented ; 
and  young  and  handsome  as  Absalom  was,  he  was  quite 
likely  to  be,  simply  on  that  account,  the  idol  of  the  army, 
and  the  darling  of  the  populace.  Add  to  this,  that  he  was 
the  only  one  of  David's  sons  who,  on  the  mother's  side,  was 
of  royal  lineage  ;  and  to  a  people  who  are  so  moved  by  con- 
siderations like  these  as  the  Orientals,  this  must  have  given 
additional  weight  to  his  claims.  Nor,  on  the  other  side, 
must  we  forget  that  David  was  no  longer  the  man  he  was, 
when  the  people  rallied  with  enthusiasm  around  him.  Age 
had  begun  to  tell  upon  him  ;  and  sadder  far  than  that,  from 
the  era  of  his  great  trespass,  he  had  been  broken-hearted 
and  melancholy.  To  his  people  generally  he  would  appear 
as  a  retired,  moody  old  man.  The  spring  of  his  life  was 
gone.  He  took  little  interest  in  public  affairs,  and,  in  par- 
ticular, he  neglected  that  most  important  of  all  the  duties  of 
an  Eastern  ruler,  the  sitting  in  the  gate  to  hear  those  ap- 
peals which  his  subjects  made  to  his  personal  decision. 

It  has  been  supposed,  indeed,  that  during  the  four  years 
of  Absalom's  preparations  David  was  suffering  from  disease 
to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  prevented  from  taking  his 
place  as  aforetime  in  the  administration  of  justice ;  and  cer- 
tainly there  are  some  expressions  in  the  4ist  Psalm,  belong- 
ing to  this  era  of  his  life,  which  can  be  most  naturally  inter- 
preted on  this  hypothesis.  But  however  we  may  account  for 
it,  the  fact  is  clear  that  David  had  largely  disappeared  from 


THE  REVOLT  OF  ABSALOM.  307 

the  public  eye,  and  that  he  had  ceased,  to  a  great  extent,  to 
take  interest  in  the  duties  of  his  office.  Furthermore,  the 
people  knew  of  his  great  trespass,  and  this  brought  even  the 
good  features  of  his  character  into  contempt.  They  saw 
him  devoting  himself  to  retirement,  and  giving  almost  his 
entire  attention  to  religious  duties,  while,  perhaps,  they  heard 
occasionally  of  his  great  purpose  of  building  a  temple,  and 
of  the  efforts  which  he  was  making  in  the  collection  of  ma- 
terials for  it,  and  they  ridiculed  him  as  "  an  old  hypocrite." 
They  did  not  know  or  believe  in  the  sincerity  of  his  repent- 
ance, and  so  they  held  him  up  to  scorn.  v  Had  he  been  a 
worthless  rake,  making  no  pretensions  to  religion,  they  would 
not  have  objected  to  hjm ;  or  had  he  been  a  devout  man, 
with  a  blameless  reputation,  they  would  have  been  compelled 
to  respect  him  ;  but,  knowing  his  sin,  and  seeing  his  devo- 
tion, they  simply  despised  him.  That  this  is  no  exaggerated 
description,  seems  clear  from  certain  expressions  in  the  69th 
Psalm,  which  is  generally  understood  to  belong  to  this  pe- 
riod of  David's  life.  There  we  find  him  writing,  "  When  I 
wept,  and  chastened  my  soul  with  fasting,  that  was  to  my  re- 
proach. I  made  sackcloth  also  my  garment;  and  I  became 
a  proverb  to  them.  They  that  sit  in  the  gate  speak  against 
me  ;  and  I  was  the  song  of  the  drunkards."  Now,  presuming 
all  this  to  be  true,  we  can  see  how  the  people,  and  especially 
those  nearest  the  king  in  Jerusalem,  were  in  a  manner  pre- 
pared for  a  change  in  the  sovereignty  of  the  nation.  But 
the  bad  points  in  David's  character  and  administration  were 
yet  further  darkened  by  the  contrast  which  was  suggested  by 
the  conduct  of  Absalom.  Over  against  the  seclusion  of  his 
father,  the  people — and  especially  the  West-End  tradesmen, 
if  there  were  any  such  in  those  days — would  set  the  state 
of  Absalom ;  and  as  they  saw  him  riding  forth  in  his  char- 
iot, with  fifty  men  preceding  him,  they  would  say,  "  That  is 
something  like  a  king ;  but  as  for  David,  we  might  as  well 


308  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

have  no  court,  for  any  thing  we  see  of  him."  Again,  over 
against  David's  neglect  of  the  administration  of  justice,  they 
would  put  Absalom's  assiduous  attention  to  the  matters 
brought  before  him,  and  his  affable,  frank,  and  conciliatory 
manner  to  all  strangers  ;  while  his  insidious  ejaculation,  "  O 
that  I  were  made  judge  in  the  land,  that  every  man  which 
hath  any  suit  or  cause  might  come  to  me  and  I  would  do 
him  justice,"  could  not  but  produce  the  effects  which  it  was 
intended  to  accomplish.  Hence  we  can  understand  how 
Absalom  stole  the  hearts  of  the  men  of  Israel.  But  it  was 
stealing  for  all  that ;  and  though,  in  the  hands  of  God,  he 
was  the  instrument  through  whom  chastisement  was  inflicted 
upon  David,  we  shall  yet  see  that  a  terrible  retribution  fell 
upon  himself. 

The  method  which  he  took  for  inaugurating  his  revolt  was 
characterized  by  the  cunning  that  seems  to  have  been  in- 
herent in  his  nature.  He  sent  spies  through  all  the  tribes, 
instructing  them,  at  a  given  signal,  to  proclaim  him  king. 
Then,  feigning  that  he  had  a  religious  vow  which  took  him 
to  Hebron,  he  went  thither  with  two  hundred  men,  and 
set  up  his  standard  in  the  city  of  Abraham,  where  first  his 
father  had  received  the  crown  of  Judah.  From  Hebron  he 
sent  to  Giloh  for  Ahithophel,  one  of  his  father's  counselors, 
who  seems  to  have  known  of  the  plot,  and  to  have  gone 
from  Jerusalem  to  his  own  city  of  Giloh,  in  order  to  be  with- 
in Absalom's  call.  This  man,  though  his  name  signifies 
"  the  brother  of  foolishness,"  was  in  great  repute  for  wisdom, 
and  men  went  to  consult  him  almost  as  they  went  to  the 
oracle  of  God.  By  comparing  2  Samuel  xi.,  3,  where  it  is 
said  that  Bath-sheba  was  the  daughter  of  Eliam,  with  2  Sam- 
uel xxiii.,  34,  where  it  is  recorded  that  Eliam  was  the  son 
of  Ahithophel  the  Gilonite,  and  connecting  these  with  the 
fact  that  Uriah  and  Eliam  were  comrades,  both  belonging  to 
the  order  of  the  worthies,  we  get  the  interesting  result  that 


THE  REVOLT  OF  ABSALOM.  309 

Ahithophel  was  the  grandfather  of  Bath-sheba.  And  from 
this  the  inference  seems  inevitable,  that  his  defection  to 
Absalom  was  caused  by  the  displeasure  which  he  felt  at  the 
wrong  done  ten  years  before  to  the  wife  of  Uriah.* 

Thus  the  strength  of  Absalom's  conspiracy  is  seen  to  be 
a  direct  result  of  David's  great  transgression.  Ahithophel's 
name  was  in  itself  almost  a  guarantee  of  Absalom's  suc- 
cess. And  we  may  judge  of  the  importance  which  was  at- 
tached to  him,  not  only  from  the  prayer  offered  by  David 
when  he  heard  of  his  treachery,  and  the  commission  which 
he  gave  to  Hushai  to  counteract  his  advice,  but  also  from 
the  plaintive  wail  which  he  makes  over  him  in  the  4ist 
Psalm  :  "  Yea,  mine  own  familiar  friend,  in  whom  I  trusted, 
which  did  eat  of  my  bread,  hath  lifted  up  his  heel  against 
me."  And  again,  more  strikingly,  in  the  55th  Psalm  :  "For 
it  was  not  an  enemy  that  reproached  me ;  then  I  could  have 
borne  it :  neither  was  it  he  that  hated  me  that  did  magnify 
himself  against  me ;  then  I  would  have  hid  myself  from 
him  :  but  it  was  thou,  a  man  mine  equal,  my  guide,  and  mine 
acquaintance.  We  took  sweet  counsel  together,  and  walked 
unto  the  house  of  God  in  company." 

Evil  tidings  fly  swiftly.  So  a  messenger  soon  brought 
news  to  David  of  Absalom's  procedure,  and  the  king  at  once 
resolved  to  leave  Jerusalem.  This  determination  was  prob- 
ably taken  by  him  because  there  were  not  sufficient  troops 
to  garrison  the  city,  or  because  he  had  no  confidence  in  the 
inhabitants  that  they  would  be  faithful  to  him ;  and  the  sto- 
ry of  his  departure  from  his  palace  is  here  told  with  a  beau- 
ty and  a  pathos  which  are  perfectly  unapproachable.  He 
left  ten  of  his  concubines  behind  to  look  after  the  house, 
and  went  on,  as  it  is  said,  to  a  place  that  is  far  off;  or  rath- 

*  See,  on  this  point,  Blunt's  "  Scriptural  Coincidences,"  p.  136 ;  also, 
"  Biblical  Studies,"  by  E.  H.  Plumtre,  p.  97. 


310  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

er,  as  it  might  be  rendered,  to  "the  house  far  off" — the  last 
house,  probably,  in  the  city.  Here  the  sorrowful  procession 
was  marshaled.  His  faithful  body-guard  went  first ;  then  the 
remnant  of  his  band  of  six  hundred ;  then  his  servants. 
Among  those  beside  him  he  saw  Ittai  the  Gittite;  and 
struck,  perhaps,  with  the  fact  that  an  alien  should  be  faith- 
ful to  him  when  his  own  son  was  false,  he  besought  him  to 
return ;  but  the  soldier  nobly  replied,  in  words  which  he  as 
nobly  redeemed,  "As  the  Lord  liveth,  and  as  my  lord  the 
king  liveth,  surely  in  what  place  my  lord  the  king  shall  be, 
whether  in  death  or  life,  even  there  also  will  thy  servant  be." 
And  so  they  went  on — out  down  into  the  valley  and  across 
the  Kidron — while  a  loud,  long  wail  ascended  from  the  weep- 
ing multitude.  At  this  point  they  were  met  by  Zadok  the 
high-priest,  and  by  the  Levites  who,  coming  from  the  sacred 
tent,  had  brought  with  them  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the 
Lord,  while  Abiathar  stood  waiting  till  the  people  had  gone 
out  of  the  city.  But  David's  piety  was  not  of  that  supersti- 
tious sort  which  clung  to  the  ark  as  if  it  had  been  a  talis- 
man. To  him  it  was  but  the  symbol  of  God's  covenant  love, 
which  was  equally  sure  to  him  wherever  he  might  be  ;  so  he 
said,  in  words  which  the  most  callous  can  not  read  without 
emotion, "  Carry  back  the  ark  of  God  into  the  city :  if  I  shall 
find  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  he  will  bring  me  again, 
and  show  me  both  it  and  his  habitation :  but  if  he  thus  say, 
I  have  no  delight  in  thee ;  behold,  here  am  I,  let  him  do  to 
me  as  seemeth  good  unto  him."  But  the  faith  of  David  was 
equaled  only  by  his  prudence ;  for  he  counseled  the  priests 
to  return  to  the  city,  and  to  send  him  tidings  of  what  should 
be  decided  by  Absalom,  by  the  hands  of  their  sons,  Jona- 
than and  Ahimaaz.  So,  having  dismissed  them,  they  went 
on  up  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  king  with  his  feet  bare,  and 
his  head  covered,  weeping  as  he  went,  and  the  whole  com- 
pany following  his  example. 


THE  REVOLT  OF  ABSALOM.  311 

Now  for  the  first  time,  as  it  would  seem,  he  was  informed 
of  Ahithophel's  falling  away  to  Absalom ;  and  just  as  he  had 
breathed  the  prayer,  "  O  Lord,  I  pray  thee,  turn  the  counsel 
of  Ahithophel  into  foolishness,"  Hushai,  the  Archite,  made 
his  appearance,  with  his  coat  rent,  and  earth  upon  his  head. 
This  man  was  also  one  of  David's  privy  councilors,  and  his 
coming  at  this  particular  juncture,  immediately  after  the 
monarch  had  heard  of  Ahithophel's  treachery,  seems  to  have 
suggested  to  him  that  he  was  a  fitting  instrument  for  coun- 
teracting the  influence  of  that  astute  man.  Hence  he  said 
to  him,  "  If  thou  passest  on  with  me,  then  thou  shalt  be  a 
burden  unto  me  :  but  if  thou  return  to  the  city,  and  say  unto 
Absalom,  I  will  be  thy  servant,  O  king ;  as  I  have  been  thy 
father's  servant  hitherto,  so  will  I  now  also  be  thy  servant : 
then  mayest  thou  for  me  defeat  the  counsel  of  Ahithophel. 
And  hast  thou  not  there  with  thee  Zadok  and  Abiathar  the 
priests  ?  therefore  it  shall  be,  that  what  thing  soever  thou 
shalt  hear  out  of  the  king's  house,  thou  shall  tell  it  to  Zadok 
and  Abiathar  the  priests.  Behold,  they  have  there  with  them 
their  two  sons,  Ahimaaz,  Zadok's  son,  and  Jonathan,  Abia- 
thar's  son ;  and  by  them  ye  shall  send  unto  me  every  thing 
that  ye  can  hear."  In  the  midst  of  such  piety  and  resigna- 
tion, it  is  strange  to  find  David  asking  his  friend  thus  to 
act  a  dishonest  part,  and  play  the  spy.  We  are  not  called 
to  vindicate  his  conduct.  The  Scriptures  simply  record  it ; 
and  we  must  not  suppose  that  every  thing  here  is  approved 
which  is  not  directly,  and  in  so  many  words,  condemned. 
But  we  may  say  two  things  by  way  of  debarring  hasty  judg- 
ment here. 

First — and  I  am  using  now  the  words  of  Professor  Plum- 
tre :  "  Slowly  in  the  character  of  any  people ;  more  slowly 
still  in  that  of  any  Eastern  people  ;  most  slowly  of  all,  per- 
haps, in  that  of  Israel,  have  men  risen  to  the  excellence  of 
veracity.  We  must  not  think  that. the  king's  religion  was  a 


3i2  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

hypocrisy  because  it  did  not  bear  at  once  the  fruit  of  the 
spotless  honor  and  unswerving  truth  which  mark  the  highest 
forms  of  Christian  goodness.  The  Christian  Church  herself 
has  to  notice  many  like  inconsistencies  among  her  crowned 
martyrs."* 

Second  :  let  us  not  forget  what  those  means  are  by  which, 
even  in  these  modern  days,  with  all  our  Christian  loftiness  of 
character,  we  seek  to  countermine  and  check  political  rebell- 
ion. Some  years  ago,  while  I  was  a  resident  in  Liverpool, 
there  was  great  talk  of  Fenianism.  We  heard  of  plots  for 
the  taking  of  the  ancient  city  of  Chester,  and  the  burning 
of  ships  in  our  own  docks.  How  did  we  hear  of  them  ?  By 
spies,  who  feigned  themselves  Fenians  for  the  time  !  and  the 
man  whose  astuteness  made  these  discoveries  through  means 
of  Hushai-like  instruments  was  rewarded  by  being  made  a 
companion  of  the  Most  Honorable  Order  of  the  Bath !  Ob- 
serve, I  do  not  vindicate  either  David  or  these  modern  officers. 
I  simply  state  the  facts,  and  beg  to  say,  that  if  men,  with  the 
New  Testament  in  their  hands,  can  do  such  things,  we  ought 
to  be  tender  in  our  treatment  of  David  here.  When  they 
reached  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  had  commenced  the  descent 
on  the  opposite  side,  Ziba,  the  servant  of  Mephibosheth,  met 
them,  bringing  supplies,  and  making,  at  the  same  time,  a 
false  accusation  of  treason  against  his  master.  David,  not 
seeing  the  trap  which  had  .been  so  cunningly  laid  for  him, 
unsuspiciously  fell  into  it,  and  gave  to  Ziba  as  a  gift  all 
the  land  which  he  had  been  farming  for  Mephibosheth.  We 
may  have  more  to  say  of  this  when  Mephibosheth  comes  to 
speak  for  himself.  Meanwhile,  let  us  move  forward  with 
the  sorrowful  company. 

The  path  was  along  a  ridge  which  had  a  deep  ravine  be- 
neath it,  and  another  ridge  of  a  similar  sort  rising  on  the  op- 

*  "  Biblical  Studies,"  p.  102. 


THE  REVOLT  OF  ABSALOM.  313 

posite  side  ;  and  as  they  went  forward  on  their  side,  a  wicked 
man  of  the  house  of  Saul  made  his  appearance  on  the  other, 
and,  keeping  abreast  of  them  the  while,  heaped  curses,  such  as 
only  an  Oriental  can  utter,  on  the  head  of  David.  He  cried, 
"  Come  out,  come  out,  thou  bloody  man,  and  thou  man  of 
Belial :  the  Lord  hath  returned  upon  thee  all  the  blood  of 
the  house  of  Saul,  in  whose  stead  thou  hast  reigned  ;  and  the 
Lord  hath  delivered  the  kingdom  into  the  hand  of  Absalom 
thy  son  :  and,  behold,  thou  art  taken  in  thy  mischief,  because 
thou  art  a  bloody  man."  Nor  was  he  content  with  utter- 
ing maledictions ;  he  cast  stones  at  David  and  his  servants 
across  the  gorge,  and  made  every  manifestation  of  implaca- 
ble enmity  and  malignity.  Abishai,  the  brother  of  Joab,  was 
greatly  provoked  by  his  procedure,  and  sought  permission 
to  slay  him  ;  but  David,  with  an  expression  of  querulousness 
which  shows  how  keenly  he  felt  the  ascendency  which  Joab 
and  his  brother-  had  obtained  over  him,  said, "  So  let  him 
curse,  because  the  Lord  hath  said  unto  him,  Curse  David. 
Who  shall  then  say,  Wherefore  hast  thou  done  so  ?"  Then, 
in  language  which  lets  us  see  how  bitterly  he  felt  Absalom's 
treason,  and  how  all  other  troubles  were  swallowed  up  in  that 
one  great  sorrow,  he  added,  "  Behold,  my  son,  which  came 
forth  of  my  bowels,  seeketh  my  life :  how  much  more  now 
may  this  Benjamite  do  it?  let  him  alone,  and  let  him  curse ; 
for  the  Lord  hath  bidden  him.  It  may  be  that  the  Lord  will 
look  upon  mine  affliction,  and  that  the  Lord  will  requite  me 
good  for  his  cursing  this  day."  So  they  set  forward,  and 
came  at  length  to  the  Valley  of  the  Jordan,  where  they  tar- 
ried to  refresh  themselves.  In  all  probability  it  was  morn- 
ing when  they  left  the  palace,  and  the  shades  of  evening  had 
closed  over  them  before  they  had  safely  settled  their  en- 
campment ;  but  through  the  darkness  with  which  they  were 
enveloped  the  book  of  Psalms  permits  us  to  see,  and  from  it 
we  learn  somewhat  of  the  monarch's  feelings  after  that  try- 


314  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ing  and  fatiguing  day;  for  even  the  most  rationalistic  inter- 
preters connect  with  the  events  which  we  are  reviewing  those 
calm  and  trustful  hymns,  the  one  for  the  evening  and  the 
other  for  the  morning,  which  stand  fourth  and  third  in  the 
Psalter.  Let  us,  then,  listen  a  while  at  the  door  of  the  royal 
tent,  that  we  may  hear  with  what  pious  thoughts  and  earnest 
prayers  he  shutteth  in  that  doleful  day :  "  Hear  me  when  I 
call,  O  God  of  my  righteousness  :  thou  hast  enlarged  me 
when  I  was  in  distress ;  have  mercy  upon  me,  and  hear  my 
prayer.  O  ye  sons  of  men,  how  long  will  ye  turn  my  glory 
into  shame  ?  how  long  will  ye  love  vanity,  and  seek  after 
leasing?  But  know  that  the  Lord  hath  set  apart  him  that 
is  godly  for  himself:  the  Lord  will  hear  when  I  call  unto 
him.  Stand  in  awe,  and  sin  not :  commune  with  your  own 
heart  upon  your  bed,  and  be  still.  Offer  the  sacrifices  of 
righteousness,  and  put  your  trust  in  the  Lord.  There  be 
many  that  say,  Who  will  show  us  any  good  ?  Lord,  lift  thou 
up  the  light  of  thy  countenance  upon  us.  Thou  hast  put 
gladness  in  my  heart,  more  than  in  the  time  that  their  corn 
and  their  wine  increased.  I  will  both  lay  me  down  in  peace, 
and  sleep :  for  thou,  Lord,  only  makest  me  dwell  in  safety." 
Then,  as  the  light  of  the  morning  breaks,  the  harp  is  again 
tuned,  and  heart  and  voice  accompany  it,  as  thus  he  sings  : 
"  Lord,  how  are  they  increased  that  trouble  me  !  Many  are 
they  that  rise  up  against  me.  Many  there  be  which  say  of  my 
soul,  There  is  no  help  for  him  in  God.  But  thou,  O  Lord,  art 
a  shield  for  me ;  my  glory,  and  the  lifter  up  of  mine  head. 
I  cried  unto  the  Lord  with  my  voice,  and  he  heard  me  out 
of  his  holy  hill.  I  laid  me  down  and  slept ;  I  awaked  ;  for 
the  Lord  sustained  me.  I  will  not  be  afraid  often  thousands 
of  people,  that  have  set  themselves  against  me  round  about. 
Arise,  O  Lord ;  save  me,  O  my  God :  for  thou  hast  smitten 
all  mine  enemies  upon  the  cheek-bone  ;  thou  hast  broken  the 
teeth  of  the  ungodly.  Salvation  belongeth  unto  the  Lord  : 
thy  blessing  is  upon  thy  people." 


THE  REVOLT  OF  ABSALOM.  315 

Richter,  as  quoted  by  Carlyle,  has  said, "  The  canary-bird 
sings  sweeter  the  longer  it  has  been  trained  in  a  darkened 
cage."*  Oh,  what  rich  melody  comes  from  David's  heart  in 
the  day  when  God  has  darkened  the  cage  for  him !  It  is  in 
times  of  trial  that  he  comes  most  brightly  out ;  and  at  no 
season  are  we  more  impressed  with  his  piety,  his  genius,  his 
sincerity,  than  when  we  hear  him  solace  his  troubled  soul 
with  song.  The  notes  of  the  nightingale,  whensoever  heard, 
must  be  ever  sweet,  but  they  are  sweetest  far  when  they  come 
trilling  through  the  darkness;  and  for  the  "same  reason  we 
count  these  companion  hymns  as  among  the  finest  David 
ever  wrote.  At  this  point  we  must  for  the  present  leave 
him.  Let  us  stay  only  to  carry  with  us  some  valuable  lessons. 

In  the  first  place,  we  may  learn  from  this  whole  narrative 
what  ruinous  consequences  must  ever  flow  from  the  ignor- 
ing or  violation  of  God's  laws  for  the  household.  Though 
David  regulated  his  public  administration  by  the  will  of 
God,  yet,  in  his  family  matters,  he  seems  to  have  disregarded 
the  plain  indications  of  Jehovah's  mind,  contained  even  in 
the  books  of  Moses.  For  though  polygamy  was  in  certain 
circumstances  permitted,  still  the  whole  spirit  of  the  pre- 
cepts of  the  Pentateuch  was  to  discourage  it,  and  to  sustain 
the  primeval  appointment  that  one  man  should  be  the  hus- 
band of  one  wife ;  and  when  David  set  that  law  at  naught, 
he  could  not  look  for  any  thing  else  than  domestic  discord. 
The  family  of  each  wife  became  a  separate  party  in  the  State, 
and  their  homes  became  hot-beds  of  intrigue,  faction,  and  all 
manner  of  annoyance.  But  this  was  not  the  only  point  where- 
in David  violated  God's  ordinance  of  the  family.  He  was 
shamefully  indulgent  to  his  children.  It  might  be  said  of 
him  as  of  Eli,  "  That  his  sons  made  themselves  vile,  and  he 
restrained  them  not."  Had  he  dealt  rightly  with  Amnon, 

*  See  the  Essay  on  Burns,  in  Carlyle's  miscellaneous  writings. 


316  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Absalom's  fratricide,  and  all  the  evils  which  it  drew  in  its 
train  might  have  been  avoided.  And  even  after  the  guilt  of 
his  eldest  born,  if  he  had  firmly  adhered  to  his  first  refusal  to 
allow  Amnon  to  go  to  the  sheep-shearing  at  his  brother's 
farm,  the  evil  might  still  have  been  eluded.  But  with  that 
fatal  easiness  of  temper  which  characterized  his  treatment  of 
his  children,  he  yielded  to  Absalom's  entreaties,  and  the  re- 
sult was  the  tragedy  which  is  here  described.  It  may  be 
said,  indeed,  that  his  discipline  of  Absalom  was  firm ;  but 
this  was  hardly  the  case,  for  he  never  really  brought  matters 
to  a  point  even  with  him ;  and  his  recalling  him  from  exile, 
while  yet  he  did  not  see  him,  though  it  may  seem  to  have 
been  an  indication  of  strength  of  principle,  was  in  truth  a 
token  of  weakness.  He  feared  to  push  things  to  an  issue. 
He  had  not  the  courage  to  deal  with  a  judicial  hand  with 
Absalom,  and  so,  while  his  treatment  of  him  did  not  sat- 
isfy the  claims  of  justice,  it  only  the  more  thoroughly  al- 
ienated the  son  from  the  father. 

The  whole  history  is  thus  fraught  with  richest  lessons  to 
parents.  It  is  a  warning  against  over-indulgence,  and  neg- 
lect of  discipline.  No  doubt  there  are  evils  in  the  other  ex- 
treme, and  we  must  be  cautious  lest  we  provoke  our  "  chil- 
dren to  wrath "  by  over-sternness ;  yet  in  the  family  there 
must  be  government,  and  the  parent  who  does  not  secure 
the  allegiance  and  obedience  of  his  child,  is  as  really  vio- 
lating the  fifth  commandment  as  is  the  child  who  disobeys 
and  dishonors  him.  There  is  a  happy  rule  of  love,  and  a 
willing  subjection  of  respect,  which  it  ought  to  be  every  par- 
ent's ambition  to  exercise  and  receive,  and  miserable  is  the 
household  from  which  these  are  absent !  In  saying  all  this, 
I  do  not  in  the  least  degree  excuse  David's  children  for  their 
conduct.  On  the  contrary,  it  was  godless  and  heartless  in 
the  extremest  degree.  Let  no  son,  therefore,  shelter  him- 
self under  my  words  for  dishonoring  his  father,  or  disobeying 


THE  REVOLT  OF  ABSALOM.  317 

his  mother ;  since,  no  matter  what  a  parent's  faults  may  be, 
a  parent  is  a  parent  still,  and  ought  to  have  a  place  in  the 
holy  of  holies  in  the  heart  of  every  child. 

In  the  second  place,  we  may  learn  from  this  whole  sub- 
ject that,  if  parents  would  have  thorough  discipline  in  their 
homes,  they  must  be  pure  and  holy  themselves.  David's 
weakness  in  the  matters  which  have  been  before  us  sprung 
out  of  his  wickedness.  His  conscience  made  him  a  coward. 
He  was  afraid  to  bring  the  law  into  force  against  his  chil- 
dren, lest  its  sword  should  descend  also  on  his  own  head. 
Alas  !  in  how  many  homes  in  these  days  is  the  disobedience 
of  the  children  due  to  the  conscious  sinfulness  of  the  par- 
ents. How  can  a  drunken  and  profane  father,  or  an  extrav- 
agant, proud,  and  worldly  mother,  hope  to  receive  the  re- 
spect of  children  ?  or  how  can  they  enforce,  in  the  case  of 
their  families,  laws  which  they  are  themselves  continually 
violating  ?  Example  is  better  than  precept ;  and  where 
consciously  a  bad  example  is  set,  either  the  precept  will  not 
be  enforced,  or  its  enforcement  will  provoke  the  child  into 
more  bitter  antagonism  and  rebellion. 

In  the  third  place,  we  may  learn  from  this  story  to  put 
a  right  estimate  on  personal  beauty.  It  does  not  indicate 
spiritual  loveliness,  for  Absalom  was  far  from  being  as  at- 
tractive in  character  as  he  was  in  appearance.  It  is  a  gift 
from  God,  hence  we  are  not  to  despise  it.  We  may  honor 
it  for  his  sake.  If  we  have  it  not  ourselves,  we  are  not  to 
envy  those  who  possess  it ;  while,  if  we  do  possess  it,  the 
case  of  Tamar  bids  us  be  on  our  guard  lest  it  should  prove 
either  a  temptation  to  others  or  a  snare  to  ourselves.  Alas ! 
how  many  have  been  brought  by  it,  through  their  own  folly, 
into  a  deeper  than  Tamar's  disgrace,  because  with  them  it 
has  been  a  voluntary  thing. 

Finally:  we  may  contrast  David's  conduct  toward  Ab- 
salom here  with  that  of  God  toward  the  sinner.  The  wise 


318  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

woman  of  Tekoah  had  referred  to  God  in  these  beautiful 
words :  "  For  we  must  needs  die,  and  are  as  water  spilled 
on  the  ground,  which  can  not  be  gathered  up  again ;  neither 
doth  God  respect  any  person ;  yet  doth  he  devise  means 
that  his  banished  be  not  expelled  from  him."  But  in  the 
case  of  God  and  the  sinner  there  are  several  things  present 
which  we  look  in  vain  for  in  that  of  David  with  Absalom. 

First  of  all,  in  recalling  the  sinner,  God  has  devised  means 
by  which  his  law  is  fully  satisfied  for  human  guilt ;  but  David 
had  no  proper  satisfaction  to  the  law  for  Absalom's  guilt. 
The  means  which  God  has  employed  for  honoring  his  justice 
while  bringing  back  the  banished  sinner  are  well  known  to 
you  all.  They  are  the  mission,  and  work,  and -sacrifice  of 
Jesus,  who  for  the  sinner  has  "magnified  God's  law,  and 
made  it  honorable."  Hence,  in  connection  with  that  atone- 
ment, God  is  seen  to  be  a  just  God,  and  a  Saviour ;  yea,  he 
declares  his  righteousness  even  in  the  very  act  of  remitting 
the  believer's  sin. 

In  the  second  place,  while  David  refused  to  see  the  face 
of  the  returned  Absalom,  God  welcomes  every  penitent  to 
his  heart,  and  accepts  him  as  righteous  in  his  sight  for  the 
sake  of  Jesus,  in  whom  he  believes.  What  a  welcome  the 
father  gave,  in  the  parable,  to  the  returning  prodigal !  but 
that  is  nothing  to  the  welcome  given  by  God  to  the  repent- 
ing sinner.  Do  not  fear,  then,  oh  sinner,  to  repair  to  him. 
He  will  receive  you  for  Christ's  sake.  He  will  retain  you 
in  his  favor,  and  he  will  never  let  you  perish.  Is  it  not  writ- 
ten, "  Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out  ?" 

In  the  third  place,  as  the  result  of  all  this  on  the  part  of 
God,  the  sinner's  nature  is  changed,  so  that  instead  of  being, 
as  formerly,  alienated  in  heart  from  God,  he  loves  him,  and 
desires  to  please  him.  Absalom,  as  we  saw,  was  fretted  and 
exasperated  by  his  father's  treatment  of  him  ;  and  very  prob- 
ably the  rebellion  which  he  attempted  was  plotted  during 


THE  REVOLT  OF  ABSALOM.  319 

these  two  years  when  he  was  not  permitted  to  look  upon  his 
father's  face.  But  the  forgiven  sinner's  heart  is  melted  by 
God's  love ;  and  through  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit  he  is 
changed  from  a  rebel  into  a  friend.  Oh,  the  rich  grace  "  of 
highest  God !"  Sinner,  behold  here  the  way  of  life  !  Ye 
banished  ones,  return ;  and  God  will  give  you  welcome. 
Come,  with  the  prodigal's  resolution  and  confession.  Come 
as  you  are.  Come  now.  And  your  return  will  gladden  ev- 
ery heart  in  heaven,  and  strike  a  thrill  through  every  note  in 
the  chorus  of  the  skies ;  while  God  himself,  with  benignant 
love,  shall  say,  "  This,  my  son,  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again  ; 
he  was  lost,  and  is  found." 


XVIII. 

/ 

ABSALOM'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH. 

z  SAMUEL  xvi.,  15 ;  xix. 

LEAVING  David  and  his  weary  followers  to  rest  them- 
selves in  the  Valley  of  the  Jordan,  let  us  return  to  Je- 
rusalem, and  mark  the  progress  of  the  rebellion  there.  On 
the  arrival  of  Absalom  at  the  Holy  City,  whither  he  had  come 
from  Hebron  with  Ahithophel  and  the  whole  band  of  his 
adherents,  he  was  met  by  Hushai,  who  saluted  him  as  king, 
and  offered  him  his  allegiance.  Evidently  this  was  more 
than  Absalom  had  expected.  The  character  of  the  Archite 
stood  so  high  for  integrity  and  fidelity,  that  the  rebel  had  not 
dared  to  hope  for  his  assistance  ;  so,  scarcely  knowing  what 
to  make  .of  his  protestations  and  homage,  he  said  to  him, 
partly  in  bantering  welcome,  and  partly  also  in  suspicion, 
"Is  this  thy  kindness  to  thy  friend?  why  wentest  thou  not 
with  thy  friend  ?"  But  if  he  had  entertained  any  misgivings 
upon  the  subject,  the  reply  of  Hushai  set  them  all  at  rest ; 
so  he  joyfully  received  him  into  the  ranks  of  his  followers, 
and  installed  him  among  his  privy  councilors. 

His  first  act  in  Jerusalem  was  to  take  public  possession 
of  his  father's  harem.  By  this  most  abominable  procedure 
he  not  only  unconsciously  fulfilled  the  prediction  of  Nathan,* 
but  also  committed  himself,  in  the  most  offensive  and  insult- 
ing manner,  to  irreconcilable  hostility  against  his  father. 
The  offense  was  one  which  no  monarch  could  forgive ;  and 
the  readiness  with  which  he  committed  it  was,  therefore,  a 

*  2  Samuel  xii.,  n. 


ABSALOM'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH.  321 

proclamation  of  war  to  "the  bitter  end."  It  was  like  throw- 
ing away  the  scabbard  after  having  drawn  the  sword,  or  like 
burning  the  boats  after  having  crossed  the  river.  It  effect- 
ually cut  off  all  possibility  of  retreating  from  the  course  on 
which  he  had  entered,  and  showed  that  he  was  determined 
to  come  to  no  terms  with  David.  Nor  can  we  fail  to  see  the 
motive  by  which  Ahithophel  was  actuated  in  advising  Absa- 
lom to  commit  this  iniquity.  For  one  thing,  it  would  stimu- 
late all  who  flocked  round  the  rebel  standard  to  fiercer  en- 
ergy in  the  effort  to  make  their  cause  successful,  inasmuch 
as  they  would  fight  with  the  feeling  that  they  had  nothing  to 
hope  for  from  their  adversary  but  destruction.  For  another, 
it  was  the  course  which  was  most  likely  to  secure  Ahitho- 
phel's  own  safety.  Knowing  well  David's  foolish  fondness 
for  his  children,  he  was  thoroughly  persuaded  that,  in  the 
event  of  the  rebellion  being  crushed,  he  would  be  sure  to 
become  reconciled  to  his  son.  In  such  a  case,  Ahithophel 
also  knew  that  he  would  be  the  victim  on  whose  head  the 
royal  vengeance  would  first  and  most  especially  fall.  Hence 
he  took  care  to  provide  against  such  an  issue,  by  setting  Ab- 
salom on  a  course  which,  in  all  Eastern  countries,  makes  rec- 
onciliation impossible. 

Meanwhile  the  people  of  the  city  took  note  of  all  this, 
and,  seeing  men  of  such  acknowledged  ability  as  Ahithophel 
and  Hushai  among  the  principal  supporters  of  Absalom, 
they  easily  transferred  their  allegiance  to  the  newly-recog- 
nized king,  the  rather,  perhaps,  that  the  flight  of  David  had 
seemed  to  them  a  virtual  abdication  of  the  throne,  or,  at  all 
events,  an  indication  that  he  had  no  confidence  in  the  loyal- 
ty of  the  inhabitants  of  his  capital.  In  any  case,  they  were 
quite  ready,  if  not  eager,  to  welcome  Absalom  as  their  king. 
The  fickleness  of  popular  favor  has  passed  into  a  proverb ; 
and  the  scenes  which  were  witnessed  in  Great  Britain  at  the 
eras  of  the  Commonwealth,  the  Restoration,  and  the  Revo- 

14* 


322  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

lution,  may  help  us  to  understand  what  took  place  at  Jerusa- 
lem in  the  case  before  us.  Besides,  as  one  has  suggestively 
asked,  "Were  not  these  Jews  the  ancestors  of  those  who, 
centuries  later,  cried,  at  one  time, '  Hosanna !'  and  at  anoth- 
er, '  Crucify  him !'  in  reference  to  a  nobler  prince  than  the 
son  of  Jesse  ?" 

Soon  after  coming  to  Jerusalem,  Absalom  seems  to  have 
called  together  what  we  might  term  a  council,  to  determine 
the  course  which  the  campaign  was  to  take.  At  this  meet- 
ing, Ahithophel,  as  being  by  common  consent  the  ablest  man, 
was  first  asked  to  declare  his  opinion.  In  reply,  he  offered 
to  set  out  in  immediate  pursuit  of  David  with  twelve  thou- 
sand men,  calculating  that  he  would  come  upon  the  king  and 
his  band,  "weary  and  weak-handed;"  and  that,  overawed  by 
superior  numbers,  his  followers  would  take  to  flight,  and  leave 
the  aged  monarch  to  his  fate.  This,  he  believed,  would  end  the 
war,  since  after  the  death  of  David,  and  finding  they  had  noth- 
ing left  to  fight  for,  his  adherents  would  return  to  Jerusalem, 
and  give  in  their  allegiance  to  Absalom  as  his  rightful  heir. 

This  plan  was  worthy  of  Ahithophel's  reputation.  If  it 
had  been  energetically  followed,  it  would  have  been  com- 
pletely successful,  and  would  have  changed  the  entire  color 
and  complexion  of  Jewish  history.  But  there  was  one  at 
that  council-board  whom  Absalom  had  not  summoned,  for 
"  God  had  appointed  to  defeat  the  wise  counsel  of  Ahitho- 
phel •"  and  therefore,  though  it  was  well  received  at  first,  it 
was  afterward  rejected,  yet  so  as  to  make  manifest  the  unfet- 
tered moral  freedom  of  all  concerned.  Absalom,  wishing  to 
view  the  matter  from  every  side,  called  on  Hushai  to  give  his 
advice ;  and  such  was  the  impression  produced  by  him,  that 
his  proposition  was  unanimously  adopted.  The  Archite  had 
a  difficult  game  to  play;  and  we  may  well  believe  that, when 
Ahithophel's  scheme  was  propounded  to  him,  his  heart  mis- 
gave him  for  his  aged  king.  But  he  proved  equal  to  the 


ABSALOM'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH.  323 

occasion  ;  for,  assuming  the  air  and  manner  of  a  true  friend 
of  Absalom,  he  so  magnified  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the 
execution  of  his  rival's  proposal  as  to  prepare  the  way  for 
the  acceptance  of  that  which  he  suggested,  and  which  he  de- 
scribed in  a  style  so  winning  and  rhetorical  as  completely  to 
captivate  all  his  hearers.  Reminding  them  of  the  prowess 
of  David  and  his  worthies,  and  picturing  to  their  imagina- 
tion the  fierceness  with  which  they  would  fight  if  they  were 
brought  to  bay  in  some  rocky  retreat,  and  the  panic  which 
they  might  create  in  the  ranks  of  Absalom  by  some  sudden 
sally,  he  advised  that  the  prince  should  tarry  at  Jerusalem 
until  an  army  had  been  gathered  from  the  whole  country,  and 
that  thereafter  he  should  take  the  field  against  his  father, 
who  would  then  become  an  easy  prey,  whether  they  met  him 
in  the  open  country,  or  had  to  besiege  him  in  a  fortified  town. 

Every  one  can  see  that,  in  a  strategic  point  of  view,  this 
plan  was  infinitely  inferior  to  Ahithophel's ;  but  the  manner 
in  which  it  was  expounded,  and  perhaps,  also,  the  glory  which 
it  promised  to  Absalom  in  placing  him  at  the  head  of  such 
an  army  as  Hushai  had  described,  so  charmed  the  prince 
and  the  members  of  the  assembly,  that  they  at  once  decided 
to  follow  it.  This  determination  drove  Ahithophel  from  the 
council-chamber  in  moody  indignation.  But  whither  was  he 
now  to  go  ?  After  what  had  occurred  in  the  harem,  David 
would  never  consent  to  receive  him  again ;  neither  could  he 
now  have  pleasure  in  the  service  of  Absalom.  So,  deeming 
that  life  had  nothing  more  of  honor  or  enjoyment  in  store 
for  him,  "he  saddled  his  ass,  and  arose,  and  gat  him  home 
to  his  house,  to  his  city,  and  put  his  household  in  order,  and 
hanged  himself." 

This  is  the  first  recorded  case  of  deliberate  suicide.  Saul, 
already  mortally  wounded  on  the  battle-field,  fell  upon  his 
sword,  but  this  is  the  earliest  instance  in  history  of  premed- 
itated self-murder;  and  the  feelings  which  led  to  it,  and 


324  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

which  we  can  easily  analyze,  were  very  similar  to  those 
which  have  impelled  many  in  our  own  times  to  commit  the 
same  awful  iniquity.  Chief  among  them  was  wounded  pride. 
He  who  had  been  so  long  to  his  fellow-men  like  the  oracle 
of  God,  could  not  survive  the  humiliation  of  having  Hushai's 
advice  preferred  to  his  own.  Then,  besides  this,  there  was 
the  conviction  that  Absalom's  cause  was  now  hopelessly 
ruined.  He  foresaw  that  the  following  of  Hushai's  counsel 
would  give  David  time  to  collect  his  forces,  as  indeed  the 
Archite  meant  it  should.  But  he  knew  also  that  this  was 
all  that  David  needed  for  the  recovery  of  his  throne ;  and 
as,  in  such  an  event,  he  would  be  the  first  victim  of  the  mon- 
arch's indignation,  he  determined  to  deprive  David  of  the 
satisfaction  of  putting  him  to  death  by  himself  anticipating 
his  doom.  Perhaps,  also,  there  was  a  mingling  of  remorse 
with  those  other  emotions  of  pride.  He  had  left  a  master 
who  loved  and  valued  him,  who,  indeed,  regarded  him  as  his 
equal  and  guide,  and  he  had  transferred  his  services  to  one 
who,  as  he  now  discovered,  had  not  the  wisdom  to  appreciate 
his  worth,  but  preferred  the  gaudy  glitter  of  empty  rhetoric 
to  the  substantial  wisdom  of  unadorned  speech.  This  con- 
trast, thus  forced  upon  him,  might  awaken  his  conscience  to 
the  value  of  the  friendship  which  he  had  forfeited  when  he 
turned  against  David,  until  at  length  remorse  and  shame  so 
overwhelmed  him,  that,  like  a  deeper  traitor,  of  whom  he  was 
only  the  feeble  prototype,  he  could  not  endure  life,  and  hur- 
ried himself  into  eternity.  It  never  occurred  to  him  to  ask, 
"  If  I  can  not  face  David,  how  shall  I  look  upon  Jehovah  ? 
If  I  can  not  endure  the  accusations  of  conscience,  how  shall 
I  stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of  God?" 

Just  about  the  time  that  Ahithophel  was  leaving  Jerusa- 
lem, with  the  dark  resolve  of  self-destruction  maturing  in  his 
heart,  a  female  servant  was  sent  by  Zadok  and  Abiathar  to 
the  well  of  En-rogel,  near  which  their  two  sons,  Jonathan 


ABSALOM'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH.  325 

and  Ahimaaz,  were  concealed.  Hushai  had  told  the  high- 
priests  the  issue  of  the  council,  and  they  had  commissioned 
this  young  woman  to  convey  his  message  to  their  sons,  that 
they  might  carry  it  to  David.  The  fountain  of  En-rogel  was 
only  a  little  way  out  of  the  city.  Its  name  signifies  the  well 
of  treading,  and  indicates  that  it  was  frequented  by  those 
who  were  engaged  in  the  washing  of  clothes — a  work  which 
then,  as  occasionally  yet  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  was 
performed  by  treading  with  the  feet  rather  than  by  rubbing 
with  the  hands.  It  was  also  restricted  to  women.  Hence, 
as  the  presence  of  a  female  servant  in  that  neighborhood 
would  excite  no  suspicion,  we  can  understand  how  such  a 
messenger  was  sent  on  such  an  important  commission. 

Having  received  the  message,  the  two  young  men  set  out 
at  once  for  the  Valley  of  the  Jordan  ;  but,  in  spite  of  all  the 
precautions  which  had  been  taken  to  insure  secrecy,  they 
were  seen  by  a  lad,  who,  guessing  their  errand,  went  and 
told  Absalom.  The  rebel  prince  immediately  sent  his  serv- 
ants in  pursuit  of  them ;  but  discovering  that  they  were 
chased,  the  youths  held  forward  fleetly  as  far  as  Bahurim, 
where  they  found  a  singular  hiding-place  in  the  court  of  a 
house.  Fixing  themselves  on  the  side  of  an  open  well,  the 
woman  of  the  house  put  over  its  mouth  a  covering,  on  which 
she  spread  ground  corn,  so  that  there  was  nothing  to  indi- 
cate their  presence ;  and  when  Absalom's  servants  came 
asking  after  them,  she  turned  away  suspicion  by  an  equivo- 
cal answer,  which  evinced  the  readiness  of  her  wit  no  less 
than  the  kindness  of  her  heart:  "They  be  gone  over  the 
brook  of  water." 

After  escaping  from  this  danger  the  couriers  pushed  on 
until  they  came  to  David's  encampment,  where  they  deliver- 
ed their  message.  "Arise,  and  pass  quickly  over  the  water : 
for  thus  hath  Ahithophel  counseled  against  you."  It  may 
appear  strange  that  no  mention  was  made  by  these  young 


326  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

men  of  Hushai's  own  counsel,  and  of  the  fact  that  it  had 
been  preferred  to  that  of  Ahithophel.  But  we  must  bear  in 
mind  that  we  have  here  only  the  merest  outline  of  what  was 
actually  said ;  and  even  if  no  reference  was  made  by  the 
messengers  to  the  actual  decision  of  the  council,  it  is  con- 
ceivable that  this  silence  may  have  been  suggested  by  Hu- 
shai  himself,  who  may  have  been  afraid  that,  even  after  all 
that  had  occurred  to  the  contrary,  Ahithophel's  counsel 
might  yet  be  followed.  In  any  case,  he  seems  to  have  wish- 
ed that  David  should  at  once  make  for  a  place  of  safety ;  so, 
on  the  night  following  his  receipt  of  the  message,  the  mon- 
arch and  all  his  company  passed  over  Jordan,  and  halted 
not  until  they  entered  Mahanaim. 

The  town  called  by  this  name  was  built  upon  a  spot  hal- 
lowed by  its  connection  with  Jacob's  history.  There  the 
angels  of  God  met  the  patriarch ;  and  perhaps,  as  the  old 
story  rose  to  David's  recollection,  the  strains  of  his  own 
Psalm  would  come  to  his  lips  to  strengthen  his  faith  and 
revive  his  courage  :  "  The  angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth 
round  about  them  that  fear  him  and  delivereth  them."  Ma- 
hanaim lay  within  the  territory  of  Gad,  and  near  the  line  by 
which  it  was  separated  from  that  of  Manasseh.  It  was  a 
city  of  considerable  importance,  for  Ishbosheth  had  made  it 
his  capital  during  his  seven  and  a  half  years'  reign  over  Is- 
rael. It  was  evidently  a  fortified  place,  and  that,  together 
with  the  fact  that  it  was  a  city  of  the  Levites,  who  were  al- 
ways faithful  to  him,  may  have  induced  David  to  make  it 
his  head-quarters.  But,  whatever  considerations  may  have 
moved  him  to  choose  it,  he  had  no  reason  to  repent  of  his 
selection,  for  he  was  soon  surrounded  by  kind  and  generous 
friends.  In  particular,  three  principal  men  in  that  region 
are  named  as  having  brought  to  him  and  his  men  seasona- 
ble and  abundant  supplies.  These  were  Shobi,  the  son  of 
Nahash,  of  Rabbah,  of  the  children  of  Ammon  ;  Machir,  the 


ABSALOM'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH.  327 

son  of  Ammiel,  of  Lo- debar;  and  Barzillai,  the  Gileadite, 
of  Rogelim ;  and  we  can  not  pass  them  without  staying  a 
few  moments  to  note  some  interesting  particulars  regarding 
them.  Shobi  belonged  to  Rabbah,  of  the  children  of  Am- 
mon  :  now,  when  we  remember  how,  about  ten  years  before, 
David  had  taken  that  city,  and  subjected  its  defenders  to 
unwonted  cruelties,  we  may  be  disposed  to  wonder  that  any 
one  from  it  should  have  been  so  ready  to  render  assistance 
to  the  fugitive  king  in  the  day  of  his  calamity.  But  Nahash, 
the  father  of  Shobi,  had  been,  apparently,  a  valued  friend  of 
David's ;  and  though  the  insult  which  he  had  received  from 
Hanun  had  provoked  him  to  make  war  upon  the  Ammon- 
ites, nothing  is  more  likely  than  that,  after  the  campaign  was 
over,  he  appointed  Shobi  as  a  kind  of  viceroy  over  Rabbah ; 
thus  displacing  Hanun,  and  binding  Shobi  to  him  by  the 
strongest  ties  of  interest  and  gratitude.  If  this  were  so,  we 
have  a  thorough  explanation  of  the  fact  that  the  richest  sup- 
plies in  David's  extremity  came  from  these  Ammonites,  with 
whom,  in  former  times,  he  had  waged  fiercest  war. 

Machir,  the  son  of  Ammiel,  had  been  the  host  and  guard- 
ian of  Mephibosheth,  and  so  could  not  but  be  attracted  to 
David  for  his  kindness  to  the  disabled  son  of  Jonathan.  Some 
have  supposed,  indeed,  that  there  was  even  a  closer  connec- 
tion between  him  and  David.  It  happens  that  in  i  Samuel 
xi.,  3,  Bath-sheba  is  styled  the  daughter  of  Eliam ;  and  in  i 
Chronicles  iii.,  5,  she  is  called  the  daughter  of  Ammiel.  The 
two  names,  Eliam  and  Ammiel,  are  identical  in  meaning,  and 
seem  to  be  used  interchangeably ;  and  from  a  comparison  of 
these  two  texts,  some,  among  whom  is  Professor  Plumtre, 
draw  the  inference  that  Machir  was  the  brother  of  Bath-sheba. 
This,  however,  would  necessitate  the  further  inference  that 
Ammiel  was  the  grandson  of  Ahithophel — a  consideration 
which  has  escaped  the  notice  of  the  professor,  and  which, 
in  my  judgment,  renders  it  quite  improbable  that  there  was 


328  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

any  relationship  such  as  that  which  he  has  sought  to  estab- 
lish between  Machir  and  Bath-sheba,  since  it  is  difficult  to  ex- 
plain how  Ahi'chophel  should  be  of  Giloh,  and  his  grandson 
of  Gilead.  As  for  good  old  Barzillai,  the  heart  is  drawn  out  to- 
ward him  with  peculiar  tenderness.  He  was  a  beautiful  speci- 
men of  a  venerable  chief,  whose  kindness  of  heart  was  equal- 
ed only  by  his  contentedness  of  spirit ;  and  he  stands  out 
before  us  with  vivid,  life-like  distinctness,  as  one  of  the  most 
interesting  characters  in  this  thrilling  history.  He  appears 
only  on  another  occasion ;  yet  we  feel  as  if  we  knew  him  thor- 
oughly, and  loved  him  dearly.  His  old  age  was  beautiful  ex- 
ceedingly, and  it  is  delightful  to  see  how  at  a  time  of  life 
when,  usually,  men  take  a  closer  grip  of  worldly  things,  and 
become  more  selfish  and  illiberal,  he  was  ready  to  give  of 
his  best  to  David  in  the  hour  of  his  extremity. 

We  know  not  how  long  Absalom  took  to  collect  his  forces, 
but  at  the  earliest  moment  after  the  muster  he  went  forth 
with  them  across  the  Jordan.  He  missed  Joab,  on  whom, 
perhaps,  he  had  been  counting,  but  who  had  preferred  to  fol- 
low his  father.  This,  however,  did  not  disconcert  him,  for  he 
found  a  suitable  substitute  for  the  crafty  son  of  Zeruiah  in 
Amasa,  the  son  of  Abigail,  whose  fitness  for  the  post  is  seen 
in  the  fact  that,  after  the  restoration,  David  made  him  his 
own  captain  instead  of  Joab.  Absalom's  forces  were  en- 
camped in  the  land  of  Gilead,  and  David,  around  whom,  by 
this  time,  a  large  army  had  collected,  hastened  to  give  him 
battle.  With  the  old  martial  fire  stirring  within  him,  he  di- 
vided his  troops  into  three  divisions,  under  Joab,  Abishai, 
and  Ittai,  and  declared  his  intention  of  leading  them  in  per- 
son. This,  however,  his  loving  followers  would  not  allow,  for 
on  his  life  their  cause  depended,  and  they  would  not  hear  of 
his  running  the  risk  of  the  battle-field.  Reluctantly  he  yield- 
ed to  their  importunity,  and,  relieved  of  the  responsibility 
of  leadership,  his  mind  seems  to  have  occupied  itself  with 


ABSALOM'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH.  329 

Absalom,  over  whom  he  yearned  with  wounded  but  yet  ten- 
der affection.  When  his  troops  left  Mahanaim,  he  took  his 
station  at  the  side  of  the  gate ;  and  as  rank  after  rank  de- 
ployed before  him,  he  gave,  with  quivering  voice  and  tear- 
ful eye,  his  orders  thus  :  "  Deal  gently,  for  my  sake,  with  the 
young  man,  even  with  Absalom." 

The  scene  of  the  battle  was  in  what  is  called,  for  what  rea- 
son does  not  appear, "  the  wood  of  Ephraim,"  and  victory 
crowned  the  loyal  army  of  the  brave  old  king.  Better  dis- 
ciplined and  better  led  than  the  hastily  mustered  forces  of 
Absalom,  the  soldiers  of  David  broke  the  ranks  of  their  ene- 
mies, and  sent  them  to  seek  for  shelter  in  the  forests  which 
are  abundant  on  the  eastern  borders  of  Jordan.  Here  they 
were  so  entangled  that  they  were  easily  overcome.  Nor  did 
Absalom  escape ;  for,  as  he  rode  through  the  thicket,  his 
head  (not  his  hair,  as  is  generally  supposed)  was  caught  in 
the  thick  boughs  of  a  tree ;  and  his  mule  running  from  be- 
neath him,  he  was  left  hanging  "between  the  heaven  and 
the  earth."  In  this  position  he  was  seen  by  a  young  man  of 
David's  army,  who  told  Joab  of  the  circumstance ;  and  the 
general,  blaming  the  youth  for  not  having  slain  him,  hasten- 
ed forward  with  ten  of  his  troopers,  who  surrounded  the  tree, 
while  with  his  own  hand  he  pierced  the  heart  of  Absalom 
with  three  darts.  Then,  deeming  the  campaign  ended,  he 
blew  the  trumpet  as  the  signal  for  recall ;  and  taking  the 
body  of  Absalom,  he  cast  it  into  a  pit,  and  raised  over  it  a 
heap  of  stones  like  to  those  which  used  to  be  formed  over 
the  graves  of  grievous  malefactors. 

What  a  different  tomb  was  this  from  that  stately  mauso- 
leum which,  in  his  pride  of  heart,  and  with  the  desire  of  per- 
petuating his  name,  he  had  reared  for  himself  in  the  king's 
dale !  And  as  we  stand  to  throw  one  stone  upon  his  cairn, 
we  can  not  help  exclaiming,  How  different  his  death  had  been 
if  his  life  had  been  but  worthier !  Had  he  chosen  the  path* 


330  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

of  filial  love  and  reverence,  and  sought  to  walk  in  morality 
and  devout  submission  to  the  will  of  God,  he  might  have 
blessed  his  own  age,  and  left  an  example  that  might  have 
won  the  admiration  and  imitation  of  succeeding  generations ; 
but  as  it  is,  he  is  held  up  here  to  the  execration  of  humanity 
as  the  incarnation  of  filial  ingratitude,  and  the  impersonation 
of  revenge  in  its  foulest  and  most  unnatural  shape.  Combin- 
ing in  his  career  the  guilt  of  Reuben  with  the  sin  of  Cain,  he 
added  to  it  a  parricidal  treachery  all  his  own ;  and  having 
broken  every  law,  both  of  the  family  and  the  State,  he  so  put 
himself  beyond  the  pale  of  human  mercy,  that  we  can  not  fail 
to  see  a  fitness  in  the  fate  that  overtook  him.  We  undertake 
not  to  justify  Joab  for  his  disregard  of  David's  tender  injunc- 
tion, yet  none  the  less  must  we  recognize  the  righteous  retribu- 
tion of  which,  in  this  instance,  he  was  the  executioner.  The 
disobedient  son,  under  the  Mosaic  law,  was  to  be  stoned  to 
death ;  and  in  the  heap  that  was  added  to  the  original  cairn 
by  the  successive  generations  of  his  countrymen  as  they 
pronounced  curses  on  his  memory,  we  see  a  monumental 
beacon  that  marks  forever  the  dangerous  reef  whereon  he 
made  shipwreck  of  his  soul. 

But  how  was  the  news  to  be  broken  to  his  father  ?  Ahi- 
maaz  offered  to  be  the  bearer  of  the  tidings.  But  Joab 
would  not  intrust  him  with  the  commission,  and  preferred 
to  send  one  Cushi,  most  probably  an  Ethiopian  servant,  with 
the  message.  This,  however,  did  not  satisfy  the  high-priest's 
son  ;  so,  extorting  a  permission  from  the  captain  of  the  host, 
the  fleet  courier  ran,  and  arrived  first  at  the  gate  of  Maha- 
naim,  where  a  scene  occurred  which  lets  us  see  far  into  the 
unfathomed  depths  of  a  true  parent's  heart.  Fastened  and 
almost  fascinated  to  the  spot,  the  king  is  still  in  the  same 
place  in  which  he  had  parted  from  his  troops  in  the  early 
morning.  All  day  long  he  has  been  waiting  for  intelligence  ; 
and  as  he  has  sat  watching  there,  his  throne,  his  crown,  his 


ABSALOM'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH.  331 

kingdom,  all  have  been  forgotten  in  his  eager  concern  for 
Absalom.  He  is  not  now  the  king,  so  much  is  he  the  father. 
When  the  swift-footed  Ahimaaz  comes  with  tidings  of  vic- 
tory, they  are  all  unheeded  as  the  question  rises,  "  Is  the 
young  man  Absalom  safe?"  And  when  Cushi  makes  his 
appearance,  the  inquiry  still  is,  "  Is  the  young  man  Absalom 
safe  ?"  Then,  as  the  full  truth  comes  out,  every  thing  else 
is  swallowed  up  in  the  torrent  of  that  emotion  which,  sweep- 
ing gratitude,  and  submission,  and  even  faith  in  God  before 
it  for  the  time,  bears  him  up  to  the  chamber  over  the  gate, 
where  he  cries,  with  a  great  and  exceeding  bitter  cry,  "O  my 
son  Absalom !  my  son,  my  son  Absalom !  would  God  I  had 
died  for  thee,  O  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son !"  There  are 
griefs,  as  well  as  joys,  wrth  which  a  stranger  may  not  inter- 
meddle ;  let  us  shut  the  chamber  door  and  withdraw,  leav- 
ing the  royal  mourner  a  while  in  the  sanctity  of  his  sore  sor- 
row, while  we  seek  to  glean  from  the  narrative  the  solemn 
lessons  which  it  teaches. 

From  the  issue  of  the  council-meeting,  we  may  see  how, 
in  perfect  harmony  with  the  free  agency  of  men,  and  even 
through  that  free  agency,  God  fulfills  his  purposes.  Before 
Absalom  called  his  friends  together,  it  was  appointed  by 
God  to  turn  the  counsel  of  Ahithophel  to  foolishness ;  and 
that  appointment  was  carried  out,  while  yet  no  violence  was 
done  to  the  will  of  any  person,  and  no  countenance  given  to 
the  fraud  and  hypocrisy  of  Hushai.  Thus  God  maketh  the 
cunning  and  craft  of  men,  as  well  as  their  wrath,  to  praise, 
and  the  remainder  thereof  he  restrains.  How  he  accom- 
plishes this,  we  know  not.  We  only  see  the  two  extremes : 
the  first,  in  his  own  appointment  herein  revealed;  the  sec- 
ond, in  the  men's  consciousness  of  perfect  freedom  to  do  as 
they  chose ;  but  the  intermediate  process,  the  manner  in 
which  the  Divine  appointment  accomplished  its  fulfillment 
through  moral  agents,  baffles  us  to  comprehend.  Still  the 


332  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

mystery  of  the  mode  does  not  alter  the  certainty  of  the 
fact  that  it  is  thus  God  carries  on  his  moral  government  of 
the  world.  We  see  numerous  illustrations  of  it  everywhere. 
Even  in  the  narrative  over  which  we  have  now  come  it  has 
another  exemplification  in  that,  while  Absalom  was  the  in- 
strument in  fulfilling  Nathan's  prophecies  about  his  father, 
he  was  yet,  as  a  free  agent,  held  responsible  for  the  sin  which 
he  committed  in  so  doing,  and  was  punished  with  righteous 
retribution.  So  it  is  always.  God  is  working  now  in  the 
affairs  of  individual  men,  just  as  really  and  truly  as  he  was 
working  here  in  those  of  David.  The  only  difference  is, 
that  in  this  inspired  history  his  hand  is  everywhere  acknowl- 
edged, while  we  too  frequently  ignore  his  agency.  Let  us 
seek  to  have  a  firmer  faith  in  the  doctrine  of  a  particular 
providence,  and  in  the  fact  that  all  things  are  controlled  and 
overruled  by  God  for  the  carrying  forward  of  his  great  ap- 
pointments, while  yet  we  recognize  as  fully  our  own  liberty 
and  responsibility.  "There  are  many  devices  in  a  man's 
heart ;  nevertheless  the  counsel  of  the  Lord,  that  shall  stand." 
"The  Lord  bringeth  the  counsel  of  the  heathen  to  naught, 
he  maketh  the  devices  of  the  people  of  none  effect."  "The 
counsel  of  the  Lord  standeth  forever,  the  thoughts  of  his 
heart  to  all  generations." 

In  the  record  of  Ahithophel's  suicide  we  see  how  foolish 
even  the  wisest  of  men  may  be  in  spiritual  matters.  This 
astute  counselor,  who  was  reputedly  as  the  oracle  of  God, 
has  forethought  enough  to  set  his  household  in  order  before 
he  dies ;  yet  he  has  not  sufficient  prudence  to  forecast  what 
shall  be  after  death,  and  arrange  for  that.  Had  he  consid- 
ered "  that  undiscovered  country  from  whose  bourne  no  trav- 
eler returns,"  he  had  never  been  guilty  of  this  great  iniqui- 
ty !  Had  he  thought  on  how  he  was  to  meet  his  God,  he 
would  not  have  rushed  unsent  for  into  the  Eternal  Presence, 
red-handed  with  his  own  murder.  We  wonder  at  his  infatu- 


ABSALOM'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH.  333 

ation.  We  marvel  at  his  inconsistency.  Yet  are  there  not 
many  among  ourselves  guilty  of  a  like  folly  ?  We  may  not 
meditate  suicide  indeed  —  God  forbid  that  we  ever  should ; 
but  we  have  set  our  households  in  order ;  we  have  arranged 
our  business  and  our  property,  so  that  if  we  were  taken  from 
the  earth  those  dependent  on  us  would  be  spared  all  unnec- 
essary trouble  and  expense ;  we  have  made  our  wills,  and 
done  every  thing  that  we  think  needful  in  that  regard,  and 
we  have  done  well  therein ;  so  well,  that  if  any  have  not 
made  these  arrangements,  they  ought  to  make  them  forth- 
with. Yet  have  we  done  no  more  ?  What  about  our  souls  ? 
We  are  about  to  enter  upon  the  unseen ;  we  are  soon  to 
stand  "  naked  and  open  before  the  eyes  of  Him  with  whom  we 
have  to  do ;"  we  have  the  awful  eternity  before  us,  with  the 
certainty  that  we  must  spend  its  cycles  either  in  unmitigated 
misery  or  in  purest  enjoyment ;  and  what  provision  have  we 
made  for  that  ?  Oh  !  if,  having  arranged  our  temporal  mat- 
ters, we  leave  uncared  for  the  higher  concerns  of  our  spirits, 
are  we  not  guilty  of  the  folly  of  Ahithophel  here  ?  and  may 
it  not  be  said  to  us  at  last, "  This  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and 
not  to  have  left  the  other  undone."  Say  not  to  me  there  is 
time  enough  to  arrange  all  that ;  you  know  not  what  an  hour 
may  bring  forth.  Make  haste,  therefore,  and  delay  not  to 
commit  your  soul  to  him  who  alone  is  able  to  keep  it  "  against 
that  day." 

From  the  grief  of  David  here,  the  parents  among  us  may 
see  how  needful  it  is  that  they  should  not,  by  the  influence 
either  of  their  training  or  example,  injure  the  character  of 
their  children.  Many  things  indeed  entered  into  that  bitter 
cup  which  David  was  made  to  drink  in  the  chamber  over 
Mahanaim's  gate.  There  was  the  natural  sorrow  of  a  par- 
ent in  the  loss  of  a  child  whom  he  had  once  loved  most 
passionately,  and  whom  he  still  yearned  after,  though  he  had 
ceased  to  be  worthy  of  his  affection.  There  was  also  the 


334  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

hopelessness  of  this  dreadful  separation  between  him  and 
his  boy.  When  the  infant  of  Bath-sheba  died,  he  could  say, 
"  I  shall  go  to  him ;"  but  on  this  occasion  there  is  no  such 
comforting  assurance.  Absalom's  sun  had  gone  down  in 
thickest  darkness ;  no  one  ray  of  hope  remained  to  relieve 
the  gloom  of  his  father's  heart ;  and  none  but  those  who 
have  been  called  to  mourn  in  similar  circumstances  can 
tell  how  bitter  is  a  grief  like  that. 

But  worse  than  either  of  these  ingredients  in  this  cup  of 
anguish  would  be,  as  I  think,  the  consciousness  in  David's 
heart,  that  if  he  had  himself  been  all  he  ought  to  have 
been,  his  son  might  not  thus  have  perished.  Was  there 
no  connection  between  his  own  great  trespass  and  Absa- 
lom's iniquity  ?  If  he  had  been  less  foolishly  indulgent, 
Absalom  might  never  have  rebelled.  Nay,  if  he  had  been 
wiser,  even  after  Absalom's  fratricidal  guilt,  probably  he 
had  not  stung  him  into  revolt.  Such  thoughts  and  ques- 
tionings as  these,  would,  I  doubt  not,  intensify  the  sadness 
of  the  Psalmist  in  this  trying  hour;  and  it  becomes  every 
parent  among  us  to  see  that  in  his  training  of  his  children, 
and  in  his  life  before  them,  there  is  nothing  that  may  tend 
to  ruin  them.  David  now  professes,  and  I  believe  with 
truth,  to  desire  that  he  had  died  for  Absalom ;  but  that  was 
a  vain  wish.  He  ought  to  have  lived  more  for  Absalom. 
He  ought,  by  his  own  character,  to  have  taught  him  to  love 
holiness,  or,  at  all  events,  he  ought  to  have  seen  that  there 
was  nothing  in  his  own  conduct  to  encourage  his  son  in 
wickedness  or  to  provoke  him  to  wrath ;  and  then,  though 
Absalom  had  made  shipwreck,  he  might  have  had  the  con- 
solation that  he  had  done  his  utmost  to  prevent  such  a  ca- 
tastrophe. 

In  this  connection  I  can  not  help  recalling  an  incident  in 
the  life  of  James  Stirling,  well  known  as  the  first  temperance 
missionary  in  Scotland.  James  was  a  drunkard  up  to  his 


ABSALOM'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH.  335 

sixtieth  year ;  but  then  he  was,  through  the  abstinence  move- 
ment, rescued  from  his  danger,  and  "plucked  as  a  brand  out 
of  the  burning  !"  Out  of  gratitude  for  his  deliverance,  he 
gave  himself  for  the  next  twenty  years  of  his  life  to  the  ad- 
vocacy of  the  Temperance  cause,  traveling  over  the  length 
and  breadth  of  Scotland,  helping  to  save  men  from  the  curse 
of  strong  drink.  On  one  of  these  journeys,  when  he  arrived 
at  Aberdeen,  he  met  with  one  of  his  sons,  who,  taking  after 
his  father's  early  example,  had  become  a  drunkard,  and  was 
at  that  time  a  soldier.  The  two  had  a  long  and  interesting 
talk  in  the  evening,  and  old  James  thought  the  youth  was 
doing  better ;  but  in  the  morning  he  was  sent  for  in  great 
haste,  and  hurrying  to  the  place,  wondering  much  what  the 
message  meant,  he  was  shown — oh  horror ! — the  body  of  his 
son,  who  had  committed  suicide  during  the  night.  Who 
may  describe  the  anguish  of  that  father's  heart  as  David's 
wail  was  wrung  out  of  him,  while  he  appended  this  of  his 
own :  Had  I  been  a  sober  man  all  my  life,  this  might  never 
have  occurred.* 

Parents,  will  you  ponder  the  lesson  which  this  incident 
suggests  ?  Do  not  contribute  to  the  ruin  of  your  children 
by  any  indiscretion,  or  inconsistency,  or  sin  of  yours.  In  a 
report  of  the  Liverpool  Observatory  I  once  read  this  state- 
ment, as  a  reason  why  ship-masters  ought  to  have  their  chro- 
nometers daily  compared  with  the  true  time,  and  their  varia- 
tions rated  :  "  The  error  of  a  second  a  day  may  in  the  course 
of  a  voyage  sink  a  ship."  So  it  is  here  :  the  variation  of  our 
conduct  from  the  sacred  standard,  if  statedly  persevered  in 
by  us  before  our  children,  may  not  only  be  the  means  of  our 
own  destruction,  but  may  ruin  them  eternally.  What  a  sol- 
emn thought  is  that !  God  keep  us  from  doing  thus  fatal  in- 
jury to  those  whom  we  most  dearly  love ! 

*  See  "  The  Gloaming  of  Life,"  by  Rev.  Alex.  Wallace,  D.D.,  Glasgow. 


336  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Finally :  the  fate  of  Absalom  may  be  a  warning  to  the 
careless  youth  among  us.  Divine  laws  will  not  be  ignored 
with  impunity.  You  may  not  thrust  your  hand  into  the 
flames,  and  imagine  that  God  will  work  a  miracle  to  save  it 
from  being  burned ;  you  may  not  leap  over  a  precipice,  and 
expect  that  God  will  so  counteract  the  law  of  gravitation  as 
to  preserve  you  from  falling.  But  just  as  preposterous  is  it 
to  expect  that,  if  you  live  in  daily  contempt  of  God's  moral 
commands,  you  will  escape  his  punishment.  The  retribution 
may  seem  long  in  coming ;  but  it  will  come,  and  the  delay 
will  only  make  it  heavier  when  it  falls.  Be  on  your  guard, 
then,  dear  young  friends,  against  this  defiance  of  the  Al- 
mighty, and  seek  your  true  safety  in  obeying  God's  precepts. 
A  great  philosopher  was  in  the  habit  of  saying  that  "to  com- 
mand Nature  we  must  obey  her ;"  and  every  mechanic  and 
man  of  science  knows  that  this  is  true.  By  obeying  natural 
laws,  we  may  command  the  power  of  nature,  which  is  only 
the  physical  power  of  God,  and  use  it  in  our  service.  We 
yoke  steam  to  our  chariots  by  obeying  God's  laws  in  regard 
to  steam ;  we  send  the  lightning  on  our  messages  by  obey- 
ing God's  laws  in  reference  to  electricity.  But  this  is  true 
also  spiritually.  We  can  only  have  God's  blessing,  and  com- 
mand God's  grace,  by  obeying  his  moral  laws.  If  we  dis- 
obey them,  we  shall  be  destroyed  ;  if  we  obey  them,  he  will 
be  our  helper  and  our  strength.  Your  great  security,  then, 
is  in  obedience  to  God ;  and  this  is  his  prime  command,  that 
"you  should  believe  on  his  Son  whom  he  hath  sent."  Seek 
your  happiness  in  the  service  of  the  Lord,  so  that  when  par- 
ents, kinsmen,  or  friends  may  ask,  "  Is  the  young  man  safe  ?" 
the  answer  may  be,  "  The  eternal  God  is  his  refuge,  and  un- 
derneath are  the  everlasting  arms." 

Let  me  beseech  you,  by  every  consideration,  to  take  this 
wise  and  prudent  course.  For  your  own  sakes,  I  would 
urge  you  to  listen  to  my  entreating  voice,  that  so  you  may 


ABSALOM'S  DEFEAT  AND  DEATH.  337 

secure  true  success  in  life,  peace  at  death,  and  happiness 
throughout  eternity.  For  your  parents'  sake,  I  implore  you 
to  follow  the  course  which  I  have  now  indicated ;  for  the 
sake  of  the  meek,  loving  mother,  who  nightly  watched  you 
long  ago,  and  who  still  prays  for  you  in  the  far-away  home ; 
for  your  father's  sake,  that  venerable  man  who,  in  your 
boyhood's  days,  so  reverently  took  down  the  "  big  ha'  Bi- 
ble," and  read  to  you  from  its  sacred  page  around  the 
evening  altar ;  yea,  higher  still,  for  your  Saviour's  sake,  who 
weeps  over  the  sinful  city  wherein  you  dwell,  as  he  wept 
over  doomed  Jerusalem  :  by  all  that  is  dear  and  sacred ;  by 
all  that  is  noble,  and  great,  and  glorious,  and  divine ;  by  the 
measureless  duration  of  eternity,  and  the  transcendent  hap- 
piness of  yonder  heaven,  I  beseech  you  to  seek  your  safety 
midst  the  battle  of  life  in  the  protection  of  your  Saviour. 
And  if  these  considerations  have  no  weight  with  you,  look 
once  more  at  that  royal  mourner  pacing  his  room  in  agony ; 
hear  his  deep  groans;  mark  his  heavy  sobs,  such  as  can 
come  only  from  the  big,  bursting  heart  of  a  weeping  man ; 
behold  how,  drop  by  drop,  the  tears  course  adown  his  cheeks, 
and  fall  heavily  upon  the  floor.  Tell  me :  would  you  like 
your  father,  your  mother,  your  sister,  your  brother,  to  bewail 
you  thus  ?  Oh,  if  you  would  spare  those  near  and  dear  to 
you  this  terrible,  this  life-long  sorrow ;  if,  in  the  transit  of 
your  spirit  to  its  own  place,  you  would  not  hear  borne  upon 
the  breeze  the  echo  of  this  hopeless  cry,  "Would  God  I  had 
died  for  thee  !"  then  turn  from  this  time  forth  to  Jesus,  and 
give  yourself  to  his  holy  keeping,  through  faith  in  him  and 
obedience  to  his  laws. 

15 


XIX. 

THE  RESTORATION  OF  DA  VI D  TO  HIS 
THRONE. 

2  SAMUEL  xix. ;  xx. 

r  I  "HE  passionate  grief  of  David  over  Absalom  changed 
JL  the  glory  of  victory  into  gloom,  and  so  affected  his 
troops  as  they  returned  to  Mahanaim,  that  "  they  gat  them 
by  stealth  unto  the  city,  as  people  being  ashamed  steal  away 
when  they  flee  in  battle."  This  was  only  natural,  and  what, 
in  the  circumstances,  might  have  been  expected ;  for  while, 
so  far  as  Absalom  was  concerned,  we  can  well  account  for 
and  sympathize  with  the  bitterness  of  his  father's  sorrow, 
yet  looked  at  from  the  army's  point  of  view,  it  could  not  but 
seem  as  if  the  monarch  had  failed  to  appreciate  the  magni- 
tude of  the  risk  his  soldiers  had  run,  or  to  estimate  the  val- 
ue of  the  services  which  they  had  rendered.  They  had  per- 
iled their  lives  in  their  devotion  to  his  cause ;  they  had,  by 
their  promptitude  and  prowess,  ended  the  rebellion  in  the 
very  first  battle  ;  and  when  they  might  have  hoped  to  be  met 
with  congratulations  and  loaded  with  honors,  the  king  is  in- 
visible, and  nothing  is  heard  from  him  but  the  echo  of  his 
unceasing  cry,  "  O  my  son  Absalom  !  O  Absalom,  my  son, 
my  son !"  We  can  not  wonder,  therefore,  that  they  were 
disappointed  and  dissatisfied,  and  that  their  feelings  should 
have  found  vent  in  the  stinging  reproach  of  Joab  :  "  Thou 
hast  shamed  this  day  the  faces  of  all  thy  servants,  which  this 
day  have  saved  thy  life,  and  the  lives  of  thy  sons  and  of  thy 
daughters,  and  the  lives  of  thy  wives,  and  the  lives  of  thy  con- 
cubines ;  in  that  thou  lovest  thine  enemies,  and  hatest  thy 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  DAVID  TO  HIS  THRONE.     339 

friends.  For  thou  hast  declared  this  day,  that  thou  regard- 
est  neither  princes  nor  servants :  for  this  day  I  perceive,  that 
if  Absalom  had  lived,  and  all  we  had  died  this  day,  then  it 
had  pleased  thee  well." 

Something  like  this  needed  to  be  said ;  but  perhaps  Joab 
was  not  the  best  man  to  say  it,  and  certainly  he  did  not  say 
it  in  the  most  tender  and  considerate  manner.  He  might 
have  shown  a  little  more  sympathy  with  the  king  in  his  hour 
of  trouble.  He  might  have  remembered  that,  though  David 
had  recovered  his  kingdom,  he  had  also  lost  a  son,  and  that, 
too,  in  circumstances  of  the  most  sorrowful  character.  He 
might  have  made  some  allowance  for  the  conflict  of  emo- 
tions which  was  going  on  within  him  ;  and  while  stirring  him 
up  to  "go  forth  and  show  himself  to  the  people,"  he  might 
also  have  said  something  to  soothe  and  calm  the  agitation 
of  his  spirit.  But  Joab  could  touch  nothing  with  a  velvet 
hand.  Rough,  violent,  and  callous  himself,  he  could  not  un- 
derstand the  sensitiveness  of  another ;  hence,  while  doing  a 
very  proper  thing,  he  did  it  in  so  harsh  and  dictatorial  a 
manner,  that  the  king,  even  while  yielding  to  his  entreaty, 
chafed  more  than  ever  under  the  yoke  of  Zeruiah's  sons, 
and  registered  a  resolution  to  free  himself  from  their  dom- 
ination as  soon  as  it  might  be  practicable. 

Some,  indeed,  may  suppose  that  the  sternness  of  Joab  here 
was  assumed,  in  order  the  better  to  rouse  David  to  the  dan- 
ger which  anew  he  was  incurring ;  and  if  any  choose  to  adopt 
that  view,  I  have  no  objection  to  offer,  save  this,  that,  from  my 
reading  of  his  character,  it  does  not  seem  ever  to  have  re- 
quired any  effort  on  Joab's  part  to  be  hard  and  unfeeling; 
but  whatever  may  be  said  about  the  way  in  which  he  gave 
it,  this  must  be  plainly  conceded,  that  his  advice  was  not  of- 
fered a  moment  too  soon,  for  the  troops  were  rapidly  dis- 
banding, and  by-and-by  the  confidence  and  affection  of  the 
people  would  have  been  entirely  alienated.  When,  however, 


340  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

they  heard  that  the  king  was  again  sitting  in  the  gate,  they 
speedily  returned ;  and  as  they  looked  upon  his  pale,  hag- 
gard, grief-worn  countenance,  their  hearts,  true  to  the  deepest 
instincts  of  our  nature,  would  be  drawn  to  him  even  more  than 
if  he  had  met  them  with  every  token  of  unmingled  gladness. 

But  though  he  had  thus  regained  the  attachment  of  his 
troops,  and  quenched  the  fire  of  rebellion  which  at  one  time 
looked  so  threatening,  David  still  remained  at  Mahanaim, 
and  took  no  steps  to  return  to  Jerusalem.  He  had  been 
called  to  the  throne  at  first  by  the  choice  of  the  people,  as 
well  as  by  the  designation  of  Jehovah,  and  he  would  not 
move  in  the  direction  of  resuming  his  regal  dignity  until,  in 
some  form  or  other,  the  desire  of  the  tribes  had  been  indi- 
cated to  him.  Hence  it  was  with  satisfaction  that  he  heard 
how,  almost  everywhere  throughout  the  land,  the  inhabitants 
were  saying  one  to  another, "  Why  speak  ye  not  a  word  of 
bringing  the  king  back  ?" 

But  there  was  one  unaccountable  exception  to  this  gener- 
al expression  of  returning  allegiance.  The  people  of  Judah 
were  silent.  Probably  they  felt  that  they  had  been  more 
deeply  committed  to  the  revolt  of  Absalom  than  others,  inas- 
much as  he  had  first  unfurled  his  banner  at  Hebron ;  per- 
haps, also,  they  were  ashamed  of  the  part  which  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Jerusalem  had  played  in  the  rebellion,  and  possibly 
they  might  be  afraid  that  David  might  visit  their  perfidy  with 
severe  punishment.  But,  in  any  case,  their  silence  was  very 
painful  to  the  king ;  and  not  willing  that  his  own  tribe,  who 
had  first  called  him  to  the  honor  of  royalty,  should  be  back- 
ward now,  he  sent  a  message  to  Zadok  and  Abiathar,  begging 
them  to  say  to  the  elders  of  Judah, "  Why  are  ye  the  last  to 
bring  the  king  back  to  his  house  ?  seeing  the  speech  of  all 
Israel  is  come  to  the  king,  even  to  his  house.  Ye  are  my 
brethren.  Ye  are  my  bones  and  my  flesh :  wherefore  then  are 
ye  the  last  to  bring  back  the  king  ?"  And  lest  there  should  be 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  DAVID  TO  HIS  THRONE.     341 

any  fear  of  vengeance  on  his  part,  he  signifies  his  intention 
to  elevate  Amasa,  who  had  been  the  captain  of  Absalom's 
army,  to  the  post  of  commander-in -chief,  instead  of  Joab. 
This  message  had  the  desired  effect :  "  It  bowed  the  heart  of 
all  the  men  of  Judah,  even  as  the  heart  of  one  man;"  so  that 
they  not  only  invited  the  king  back,  but  also  came  to  Gilgal, 
that  they  might  meet  him  and  bring  him  again  to  his  palace. 
In  all  this  procedure,  however,  David  was  not  actuated  by 
his  usual  sagacity  ;  and  the  result  of  his  apparent  preference 
of  Judah  over  the  other  tribes  not  only  provoked  another  re- 
bellion after  his  return  to  Jerusalem,  but  also  prepared  the 
way  for  the  division  of  the  kingdom,  which  took  place  in  the 
days  of  his  grandson,  Rehoboam.  It  was  quite  right  in  the 
king  to  tarry  at  Mahanaim  until  he  was  asked  to  return  in 
state  to  Jerusalem  ;  it  was  natural,  also,  that  when  his  own 
tribe  was  backward,  he  should  stimulate  it  to  activity;  but 
he  ought  to  have  sent  a  similar  message  to  the  elders  of  all 
the  tribes,  acknowledging  their  forwardness  to  move  in  his 
interests ;  and  when  the  men  of  Judah  came  to  Gilgal,  to 
make  a  public  "progress"  with  him  from  that  city  to  Jerusa- 
lem, he  should  have  insisted  upon  waiting  until  the  other 
tribes  were  represented,  as  they  had  been  on  the  day  when 
first  he  assumed  the  throne  over  undivided  Israel.  As  it 
was,  however,  we  can  not  but  see  how  he  wounded  the  self- 
respect  of  the  other  tribes,  by  making  it  appear  that  the  in- 
vitation of  the  men  of  Judah  was  of  more  consequence  to 
him  than  that  of  all  the  others  put  together ;  and  so  he  made 
a  wedge,  which,  though  it  proved  ineffectual  in  the  hands  of 
Sheba,  the  son  of  Bichri,  needed  only  the  hammer-stroke  of 
the  sterner  and  more  subtle  Jeroboam  to  divide  Israel  from 
Judah  in  perpetual  separation.  But  while  we  mark  the  lack 
of  forethought  indicated  by  David  here,  we  must  not  violate 
the  order  of  the  narrative  by  introducing  out  of  its  place  the 
rebellion  of  Sheba. 


342  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Along  with  the  men  of  Judah,  and  accompanied  by  a  thou- 
sand men  of  Benjamin,  came  Shimei  of  Bahurim,  and  Ziba, 
the  steward  of  Mephibosheth,  to  whom  David  had  so  hastily 
transferred  all  his  master's  property.  The  latter  was  in  great 
state,  surrounded  by  his  fifteen  sons,  and  attended  by  twenty 
slaves.  As  soon  as  David  landed  from  the  ferry-boat  which 
bore  him  over  the  river,  Shimei  came  near  to  make  a  hum- 
ble confession  of  his  guilt  in  cursing  the  king,  and  to  request 
forgiveness.  Abishai  was  again  forward  with  his  offer  to  put 
the  mean-spirited  and  unfeeling  man  to  death.  In  the  eye 
of  the  brother  of  Joab,  all  this  confession  of  iniquity,  and  ex- 
pression of  zeal  in  being  the  first  of  "all  the  house  of  Joseph 
to  go  down  to  meet  the  king,"  was  but  a  piece  of  sickening 
hypocrisy ;  and  perhaps  he  was  right,  for  in  general  the  men 
who  are  loudest  in  curses  are  themselves  cringing  wretches, 
who  will  swallow  all  their  formerly  professed  principles,  and 
eat  in  all  their  strongest  utterances,  if  only  they  may  save 
their  lives  and  property.  But  the  day  of  David's  restoration 
was  not  to  be  stained  by  any  deed  of  blood,  however  right- 
eously it  might  have  been  shed.  Amnesty  was  to  be  every- 
where proclaimed.  So,  with  his  usual  querulous  expression 
of  impatience  at  Abishai's  interference,  David  said,  "What 
have  I  to  do  with  you,  ye  sons  of  Zeruiah,  that  ye  should  this 
day  be  adversaries  unto  me?  Shall  there  any  man  be  put 
to  death  this  day  in  Israel  ?  for  do  not  I  know  that  I  am  this 
day  king  over  Israel  ?"  So  Shimei  was  reprieved ;  and  the 
king  sware  that  he,  at  least,  would  not  put  him  to  death — a 
piece  of  weakness  of  which  at  a  later  day  he  saw  reason  to 
repent. 

After  he  had  safely  passed  the  Jordan,  the  venerable  Bar- 
zillai  approached  to  bid  him  farewell.  With  touching  ear- 
nestness, which  shows  how  deeply  he  had  been  moved  by  his 
great  kindness,  the  king  besought  him  to  accompany  him  to 
Jerusalem,  and  take  his  place  as  one  whom  he  would  delight 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  DAVID  TO  HIS  THRONE.     343 

to  honor  at  the  royal  table  ;  but  the  aged  chief,  who  realized 
that  he  had  already  one  foot  in  the  grave,  and  who  was  not 
willing  to  barter  the  happiness  of  his  homely  life,  and  the 
prospect  of  being  buried  in  the  sepulchre  of  his  fathers,  for 
all  the  glitter  of  a  court,  even  when  such  a  one  as  David  was 
at  its  head,  delicately  declined  the  invitation  for  himself; 
yet,  that  he  might  not  seem  rudely  to  repel  that  which  was 
offered  in  real  gratitude,  he  commended  his  son  Chimham  to 
the  favor  of  his  sovereign ;  and  it  is  gratifying  to  know  that 
David  was  specially  attentive  to  the  old  man's  request  j  for 
not  only  did  Chimham  eat  at  the  royal  table,  but  he  ob- 
tained a  portion  of  David's  patrimonial  possession  near  to 
Bethlehem.  This,  at  least,  is  the  most  natural  explanation 
of  the  fact  that  in  the  days  of  Jeremiah  we  find  mention 
made  of  a  locality  near  to  Bethlehem  which  was  even  then 
known  as  the  habitation  of  Chimham.*  Nor  is  this  the  only 
reference  to  Barzillai  in  the  later  history  of  the  nation ;  for 
at  the  return  from  the  Babylonish  captivity,  it  came  out  that 
one  of  Barzillai's  daughters  married  a  Levite,  whose  descend- 
ants, some  of  whom  were  even  then  in  the  land,  out  of  regard 
to  the  faithful  old  chief,  called  themselves  "The  children  of 
Barzillai."t 

Less  satisfactory  in  every  point  of  view  was  David's  treat- 
ment of  the  good  Mephibosheth,  who  came  to  meet  him  with 
every  token  of  respect  and  affection.  From  the  day  of  the 
king's  departure  from  his  capital,  the  son  of  Jonathan  had 
neither  dressed  his  feet,  nor  trimmed  his  beard,  nor  washed 
his  clothes  ;  and  now,  having  doubtless  heard  of  Ziba's  per- 
fidy, he  approached  his  father's  friend,  and  his  own  benefac- 
tor, with  mingled  feelings  of  satisfaction  and  regret — satis- 
faction that  David  had  returned  to  his  throne  in  safety,  re- 
gret that  he  had  innocently  fallen  under  the  royal  suspicion. 

*  Jeremiah  xli.,  17.  t  Nehemiah  vii.,  63. 


344  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

When  David  saw  him,  he  asked,  in  an  upbraiding  tone, 
"  Wherefore  wentest  not  thou  with  me,  Mephibosheth  ?"  and 
he  answered,  "  My  lord,  O  king,  my  servant  deceived  me  : 
for  thy  servant  said,  I  will  saddle  me  an  ass,  that  I  may  ride 
thereon,  and  go  to  the  king;  because  thy  servant  is  lame. 
And  he  hath  slandered  thy  servant  unto  my  lord  the  king ; 
but  my  lord  the  king  is  as  an  angel  of  God :  do  therefore, 
what  is  good  in  thine  eyes.  For  all  of  my  father's  house 
were  but  dead  men  before  my  lord  the  king :  yet  didst  thou 
set  thy  servant  among  them  that  did  eat  at  thine  own  table. 
What  right  therefore  have  I  yet  to  cry  any  more  unto  the 
king?" 

This  is,  indeed,  a  very  different  story  from  that  which  Ziba 
told  on  the  memorable  day  of  David's  flight,  and  some  have 
supposed  that  it  was  untrue,  grounding  their  opinion  on  the 
fact. that  David  did  not  restore  all  his  lands  to  Mephibo- 
sheth, but  said,  "  Thou  and  Ziba  divide  the  land."  To  main- 
tain this  view,  however,  seems  to  me  to  be  a  vindication  of 
David  at  the  expense  of  truth  and  justice,  since  the  words  of 
Mephibosheth  bear  upon  them  the  stamp  of  the  most  thor- 
ough ingenuousness ;  and  besides,  it  is  not  Mephibosheth, 
but  the  sacred  chronicler  himself,  who  tells  us  of  the  honest 
mourning  of  the  poor  cripple  over  his  patron's  calamity. 
Ziba  had  tried  to  make  it  appear  that  Mephibosheth  was  ex- 
pecting to  gain  for  himself  the  kingdom,  in  the  confusion 
caused  by  Absalom.  But,  as  Mr.  Groves  has  said  :  "  When 
the  circumstances  on  both  sides  are  weighed,  there  seems  to 
be  no  escape  from  the  conclusion  that  Mephibosheth  had 
been  faithful  all  through.  He  cou!4  have  had  nothing  to 
hope  for  from  the  revolution,  for  Absalom  had  made  no  such 
vow  to  Jonathan  as  that  into  which  David  had  entered ;  so 
from  the  success  of  Absalom,  he  could  expect  no  benefit. 
Neither  could  he,  a  poor,  nervous,  timid  cripple,  seriously  en- 
tertain the  idea  that  the  people  would  prefer  him  as  their 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  DAVID  TO  HIS  THRONE.     345 

ruler  to  Absalom,  who  was  the  handsomest,  the  readiest,  and 
the  most  popular  man  in  the  country.  Moreover,  his  story 
is  consistent  throughout.  Decrepit  as  he  was,  he  could  not 
but  be  dependent  upon  his  servant  •  and  it  is  quite  conceiv- 
able that  Ziba,  who  had  nothing  to  lose,  but  every  thing  to 
gain,  by  his  perfidy,  should,  when  ordered  to  make  ready  the 
ass  for  Mephibosheth,  start  away  after  David  himself,  and 
leave  his  master  in  helplessness  and  misery  behind.  Be- 
sides, presuming  that  he  had  been  thus  outwitted,  he  had  no 
subsequent  opportunity  of  going  out  to  David."* 

We  have  already  seen  how  difficult  it  was,  even  for  such 
fleet  couriers  as  Jonathan  and  Ahimaaz,  to  make  their  way 
in  safety  to  the  king ;  how  hopeless,  therefore,  must  it  have 
seemed  to  a  lame  man  like  Mephibosheth !  Thus,  having 
lost  the  first  opportunity  of  joining  David  by  the  treachery 
of  Ziba,  he  had  been  compelled  to  remain  in  the  city ;  but 
he  did  all  that,  in  the  circumstances,  he  could  have  done. 
He  went  into  deep  mourning  for  his  patron ;  and  so  soon  as 
it  was  safe  for  him  to  make  his  appearance,  he  came  out  to 
meet  the  king — not,  observe,  making  an  humble  confession 
and  earnest  prayer  for  forgiveness,  like  the  cringing  Shiinei, 
but  in  the  conscious  integrity  of  one  who  felt  that  he  had 
been  cruelly  maligned.  But,  more  than  this,  David  himself 
appears  to  have  been  convinced  of  his  innocence,  for  he  re- 
vokes half  of  the  grant  that  he  had  made  to  Ziba ;  and  "he 
does  it  with  such  symptoms  of  impatience  as  betoken  that 
he  was  ill  at  ease  in  regard  to  the  whole  business,  and  did 
not  care  to  have  any  further  reference  made  to  it. 

Every  one  knows  that  when  he  has  been  entrapped  into 
the  doing  of  an  ungenerous  or  unjust  thing,  there  springs  up 
in  him  an  irritation  at  himself,  which  is  apt  to  betray  itself 
in  hastiness  of  speech  and  manner  quite  similar  to  that  man- 

*  Smith's  "  Dictionary,"  art.  MEPHIBOSHETH. 
15* 


346  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ifested  by  David  here  when  he  says,  "Why  speakest  thou 
any  more  of  thy  matters  ?  I  have  said,  Thou  and  Ziba  di- 
vide the  land."  But  both  the  temper  and  the  decision  were 
unworthy  of  David.  Why  should  he  vent  on  Mephibosheth 
the  indignation  which  ought  to  have  been  directed  against 
Ziba  for  deceiving  him,  and  against  himself  for  falling  so 
easily  into  Ziba's  snare?  Moreover,  why  should  he  pro- 
nounce a  judgment  which  on  the  very  face  of  it  was  unjust? 
Some,  indeed,  in  their  zeal  for  David's  reputation  here, 
will  have  it  that  he  was  simply  restoring  the  original  grant, 
which  they  affirm  was  bestowed  on  the  condition  that  Ziba 
was  to  till  the  land,  and  give  half  the  proceeds  to  Mephibo- 
sheth ;  but  this  defense  of  the  king  is  evidently  untenable, 
since,  from  the  reply  of  Mephibosheth,  it  is  clear  that  some- 
thing was  taken  by  Ziba  which  he  had  not  gnjoyed  before. 
Why  should  the  cripple  have  said,  "  Yea,  let  him  take  all," 
if  something  had  not  been  taken  from  him  which  Ziba  had 
not  hitherto  possessed  ?  Hence,  however  reluctantly,  we  are 
compelled  to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  David  here  be- 
haved himself  most  unroyally,  and  gave  a  decision  which 
was  a  manifest  compromise,  and  that,  too,  in  a  matter  of  jus- 
tice, where  no  such  compromise  ought  to  have  been  admissi- 
ble. If  Mephibosheth  spake  the  truth,  the  whole  of  his  es- 
tate should  have  been  restored ;  if  Ziba's  statement  had  been 
correct,  no  part  of  it  should  have  been  returned ;  but  as  it 
was,  the  king,  in  his  weak  desire  to  please  all  parties,  did  a 
grievous  injustice  to  one  who  was  perhaps  more  sincerely  at- 
tached to  him  than  any  inmate  of  his  palace,  and  who  ought 
to  have  been  specially  beloved  by  him  for  his  father's  sake. 
Oh,"this  trimming  and  time-serving,  this  desire  of  peace  at 
any  price,  this  political  expediency  and  wise  diplomacy, 
which  seeks  above  and  beyond  all  things  to  keep  all  sweet, 
how  much  it  has  darkened  the  reputation  even  of  good  men, 
and  retarded  the  onward  march  of  morality  and  religion ! 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  DAVID  TO  HIS  THRONE.     347 

Ziba  was,  it  may  be,  a  man  of  influence  in  the  party  that 
yet  called  itself  by  the  name  of  Saul ;  so,  though  David  was 
probably  inwardly  convinced  of  his  unprincipled  character, 
he  thought  that  he  could  not  afford  to  offend  him ;  or  per- 
haps, from  a  weak  desire  that  no  one  should  be  punished  on 
the  joyful  day  of  his  restoration,  he  lets  him  go  free,  not 
thinking  that  thereby  he  is  deeply  wounding  the  most  sen- 
sitive heart  of  Mephibosheth  in  its  holiest  .spot.  True,  in- 
deed, that  noble  spirit  made  this  touching  reply :  "  Yea,  let 
him  take  all,  forasmuch  as  my  lord  the  king  is  come  again 
in  peace  unto  his  own  house."  But  it  is  just  a  soul  capable 
of  such  noble  self-denial  that  feels  most  keenly  the  sting  of 
any  suspicion  of  its  love  or  fidelity ;  and  as  no  further  refer- 
ence is  made  to  him  in  the  sacred  narrative,  especially  as 
David  gives  no  charge  concerning  him  to  Solomon  at  his 
death,  eight  years  later,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  he  did  not 
long  survive  the  grief  and  pain  that  Ziba's  treachery  had 
caused  him. 

All  this  while  David  and  the  men  of  Judah  seem  to  have 
been  on  the  way  between  Jordan  and  Gilgal ;  and  when 
they  arrived  at  that  city,  an  angry  altercation  rose  between 
the  members  of  the  royal  tribe  and  those  of  the  others  who 
happened  to  be  present.  The  men  of  Israel,  as  those  con- 
nected with  the  ten  tribes  begin  already  to  be  called,  were 
indignant  at  the  proceedings  of  the  men  of  Judah.  They 
alleged  that  their  brethren  had  stolen  away  the  king;  and 
their  irritation  was  not  allayed,  but  rather  increased,  by  the 
fact  that  the  men  of  Judah  assigned  their  near  relationship 
to  David  as  their  reason  for  the  prominence  which  they  had 
assumed ;  for  they  replied  with  vehemence,  "  We  have  ten 
parts  in  the  king,  and  we  have  also  more  right  in  David  than 
ye :  why  then  did  ye  despise  us,  that  our  advice  should  not 
be  first  had  in  bringing  back  our  king  ?"  The  men  of  Ju- 
dah answered  with  yet  greater  warmth ;  and  in  the  midst 


348  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

of  the  controversy,  a  Benjamite,  Sheba  by  name,  blew  once 
more  the  trumpet  of  revolt,  raising  the  shout,  "  To  your 
tents,  O  Israel."  This  act  of  his  was  the  spark  which,  fall- 
ing on  the  already  excited  multitude,  kindled  them  into  re- 
bellion ;  so  the  Israelites  gathered  around  Sheba,  while  the 
men  of  Judah,  cleaving  to  the  king,  carried  him  in  safety  to 
Jerusalem,  where;  having  first  marked  his  displeasure  at  the 
guilt  of  his  concubines  with  Absalom  by  consigning  them  to 
a  living  widowhood,  he  immediately  took  steps  for  the  crush- 
ing of  the  new  insurrection.  Passing  over  Joab,  who  had 
hitherto  been  commander  of  the  forces,  he  commissioned 
Amasa  to  lead  his  troops  against  the  enemy.  But  whether 
that  officer,  so  recently  in  rebellion  against  David,  had  not 
yet  gained  the  confidence  of  the  king's  forces,  so  that  they 
were  slow  in  gathering  round  him,  or  whether  he  was  secret- 
ly in  sympathy  with  Sheba's  revolt,  and,  really  wishing  it 
success,  put  off  time  to  give  it  strength,  does  not  appear. 
In  any  case,  he  tarried  longer  than  the  time  appointed  ;  and 
David,  fearing  that  the  rebellion  might  become  even  more 
formidable  than  Absalom's,  commissioned  Abishai  to  head 
his  troops,  and  pursue  Sheba  before  he  could  intrench  him- 
self within  a  walled  city. 

It  is  observable  that  all  through  this  affair  there  is  a  stud- 
ied slight  of  Joab ;  yet  that  unscrupulous  leader  saw  his 
opportunity ;  for,  taking  rank  under  his  brother,  he  went 
out  along  with  the  king's  body-guard  and  all  the  mighty 
men ;  and  meeting  Amasa  at  the  great  stone  in  Gibeon,  he 
slew  him  in  the  same  cold-blooded  and  treacherous  fashion 
as  he  had  formerly  dispatched  Abner.  On  that  occasion, 
however,  he  had  the  pretext  of  avenging  the  death  of  his 
brother;  this  time  the  deed  was  one  of  envy  and  jealousy. 
He  could  not  endure  that  any  one  should  supersede  him  in 
the  post  which  he  had  so  long  filled,  and,  with  the  kiss  of 
pretended  friendship  on  his  lip,  he  smote  his  adversary  with 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  DAVID  TO  HIS  THRONE.     349 

such  vehemence  that  the  blood  stained  "  his  own  girdle  that 
was  upon  his  loins,  and  his  shoes  that  were  upon  his  feet." 
This  horrible  murder  brought  the  men  of  David's  army  to  a 
stand.  Not  until  the  body  of  Amasa  was  removed  from 
their  path  and  covered  with  a  cloth,  would  they  consent  to 
move  forward.  Thereafter  Joab  assumed  the  command,  and 
followed  Sheba  to  Abel  of  Beth-maachah,  a  town  of  some 
importance  in  the  north  of  Palestine,  in  the  territory  of  the 
tribe  of  Naphtali.  Here  he  prevailed  on  a  wise  woman, 
whose  influence  was  great  over  the  inhabitants,  to  procure 
the  death  of  Sheba ;  and  having  received  evidence  that  the 
traitor  had  been  executed,  he  blew  the  trumpet,  recalling  his 
men,  and  returned  to  Jerusalem  to  tell  David  that  the  re- 
bellion was  at  an  end.  The  news,  we  may  be  sure,  was 
more  welcome  than  the  messenger  who  carried  it ;  for  thus 
again,  in  spite  of  his  determination  to  the  contrary,  he  had 
been  laid  under  deep  obligation  to  Joab,  whose  ascendency 
over  him  had  so  chafed  his  spirit  during  his  entire  reign. 
There  was  nothing  said  by  the  king  about  the  murder  of 
Amasa,  but  David's  silence  would  be  to  Joab  more  express- 
ive even  than  speech ;  and  we  know  how  keenly  he  felt  his 
nephew's  cruelty  by  the  allusions  which  he  made  to  it  on  his 
death-bed,  and  the  commands  which  he  gave  to  Solomon 
concerning  him. 

But  now,  leaving  this  record  of  blood,  let  us  turn  and  look 
at  the  Psalms  which  have  been  generally  regarded  as  be- 
longing to  the  era  of  Absalom's  rebellion.  Already  we  have 
referred  to  the  beautiful  morning  and  evening  hymns,  so  ex- 
pressive of  calm  confidence  in  God,  which  David  composed, 
as  is  commonly  believed,  in  connection  with  his  flight  from 
Jerusalem,  and  which  are  numbered  4th  and  3d  in  our  Psal- 
ter; but  there  are  others  which  must  in  no  wise  be  over- 
looked. Indeed,  as  we  have  before  seen,  a  time  of  affliction 
is  ever,  in  David's  case,  a  most  prolific  time  in  spiritual 


350  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

song.  It  is  the  stroke  that  brings  sound  from  the  lyre  ;  and 
when  the  soul-harp  is  rightly  strung,  the  touch  of  God's  chas- 
tening hand  will  ever  draw  from  it  the  sweetest  music. 

We  are  not  surprised,  therefore,  to  find  that  many  Psalms 
are  traced  to  the  circumstances  and  experiences  of  David 
during  his  son's  revolt ;  and  a  brief  allusion  to  them,  while 
yet  the  incidents  of  the  narrative  are  fresh  in  our  recollec- 
tion, may  help  us  to  understand  their  character  better  than 
we  have  done  before.  The  5th  Psalm,  which  is  much  akin 
in  tone  and  sentiment  to  that  which  precedes,  may  well 
enough  have  been  written  on  the  same  occasion  ;  and  it  is 
interesting  to  note  how,  amidst  the  excitement  of  his  flight, 
and  the  plottings  and  counterplottings  of  the  time,  he  pre- 
serves the  calm  composure  of  confidence  in  God.  "  But  as 
for  me,  I  will  come  into  thy  house  in  the  multitude  of  thy 
mercy :  and  in  thy  fear  will  I  worship  toward  thy  holy  tem- 
ple. Lead  me,  O  Lord,  in  thy  righteousness  because  of  mine 
enemies;  make  thy  way  straight  before  my  face;"  and  again: 
"Let  all  those  that  put  their  trust  in  thee  rejoice :  let  them 
ever  shout  for  joy,  because  thou  defendest  them."  "For 
thou,  Lord,  wilt  bless  the  righteous ;  with  favor  wilt  thou 
compass  him  as  with  a  shield."  To  the  same  trying  hour 
belongs  the  i43d  Psalm,  which,  read  in  the  light  of  the  his- 
tory, becomes  full  of  touching  beauty  and  devout  pathos. 
Remembering  the  connection  between  his  sin  and  his  ca- 
lamities, he  begs  God  not  to  enter  into  judgment  with  him, 
because  in  his  sight  no  flesh  living  could  be  justified  ;  then, 
plaintively  describing  the  evil  done  to  him  by  his  enemies, 
he  falls  back  on  the  memory  of  former  times,  and  encour- 
aged by  the  tokens  of  God's  mercy  which  he  had  then  re- 
ceived, he  says,  "  I  stretch  forth  my  hands  unto  thee :  my 
soul  thirsteth  after  thee,  as  a  thirsty  land."  Thereafter,  in  a 
strain  of  earnest  supplication,  he  calls  for  help,  saying,  "Hear 
me  speedily,  O  Lord ;  my  spirit  faileth  :  hide  not  thy  face 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  DAVID  TO  HIS  THRONE.     351 

from  me,  lest  I  be  like  unto  them  that  go  down  into  the  pit. 
Cause  me  to  hear  thy  loving-kindness  in  the  morning ;  for 
in  thee  do  I  trust :  cause  me  to  know  the  way  wherein  I 
should  walk ;  for  I  lift  up  my  soul  unto  thee." 

After  he  had  heard  of  Ahithophel's  treachery,  he  wrote, 
most  probably,  the  4ist,  and  55th,  and  6gth  Psalms,  which 
agree  in  these  three  particulars,  viz.,  in  the  mournful  descrip- 
tion which  he  gives  of  his  case,  and  the  plaintive  wail  he  ut- 
ters over  the  treachery  of  his  former  friend ;  in  the  calm 
trustfulness  with  which  he  leaves  his  cause  with  God ;  and 
in  the  prayers  which  he  offers  for  the  punishment  and  de- 
struction of  his  enemies.  Indeed,  this  last  particular  has 
given  great  perplexity  to  commentators,  and  "the  cursing 
Psalms,"  as  they  are  scornfully  called,  are  everywhere  held 
up  as  evidences  of  the  revengeful  spirit  of  David.  But  they 
who  do  so  seriously  mistake ;  for,  in  the  first  place,  that  they 
were  not  uttered  in  a  spirit  of  revenge,  is  evident  from  the 
disposition  of  David  all  through  the  history.  How  meekly 
he  bore  Shimei's  curses ;  how  magnanimously  he  refrained 
from  punishing  in  the  day  of  his  victory  !  Indeed,  if  we  have 
had  any  fault  to  find  with  him  at  this  time,  it  has  been  be- 
cause he  shrank  from  the  execution  of  what  we  should  have 
regarded  as  needful  justice.  Hence,  having  regard  to  the 
mood  of  the  monarch  as  indicated  by  the  facts  of  the  his- 
tory, we  can  not  suppose  that  the  Psalms  then  written  were 
dictated  by  a  vindictive  or  personally  revengeful  spirit. 

Again,  we  must  remember  that  David  was  the  anointed  of 
the  Lord,  and  that  rebellion  against  him  was  treason  against 
Jehovah.  As  I  have  often  before  said  in  these  discourses,  the 
Lord  was  the  true  King  of  Israel,  and  David  reigned  by  his 
appointment.  All,  therefore,  who  rebelled  against  him  were 
guilty  of  treason  against  the  Lord,  and  were  not  his  personal 
enemies,  but  the  enemies  of  the  Most  High.  Hence  his 
prayer  for  their  punishment  was  a  prayer  that  God  would 


352  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

vindicate  the  honor  of  his  moral  government  by  showing  his 
justice  in  their  chastisement.  But  Paul  prayed  after  that 
fashion,  as  well  as  David,  and  no  one  will  accuse  him  of  act- 
ing unworthily  of  the  Gospel.  Has  he  not  written  thus  :  "Al- 
exander the  coppersmith  did  me  much  evil.  The  Lord  re- 
ward him  according  to  his  works  ?"  and  do  we  not  find  that 
the  sternest  denunciations  of  judgment  against  God's  ene- 
mies came  from  the  lips  of  the  meek  and  holy  Jesus  him- 
self? Hence  we  have  no  difficulty  about  these  Psalms,  more 
than  about  any  other  passages  of  Scripture  which  declare 
that  God  is  set  for  the  destruction  of  the  wicked,  and  for  the 
maintenance  of  truth  and  righteousness ;  for,  as  Dr.  Alexan- 
der has  said,  "Whatever  it  is  right  for  God  to  do  in  judg- 
ment may  be  properly  enough  asked  from  God  in  prayer  by 
his  people,  provided  only  they  ask  it  from  a  regard  to  God's 
honor  and  glory,  and  not  out  of  personal  resentment."* 

Another  feature  of  these  Ahithophel  Psalms  must  be  spe- 
cially alluded  to.  They  are  all  Messianic,  and  are  quoted 
or  referred  to  by  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  as  pre- 
dictions which  had  their  complete  fulfillment  in  the  betrayal 
and  crucifixion  of  the  Lord.  Nor  need  we  marvel  at  this  : 
for  David  was  a  typical  person  ;  and  in  singing  of  his  own 
calamities,  the  Holy  Ghost  so  guided  his  spirit  that  he  em- 
ployed language  which,  though  in  a  lower  sense  appropriate 
to  himself,  does  yet  find  its  highest  significance  in  Jesus. 
Whensoever,  therefore,  we  sing  them  now,  we  can  not  but 
feel  that  a  greater  than  David  is  here. 

During  his  sojourn  at  Mahanaim,  ere  yet  he  had  been  in- 
vited back  to  Jerusalem,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  he  composed 
and  sang  the  42d  and  43d  Psalms,  and  perhaps  also  the  84th, 
all  of  which  refer  to  the  privation  which  he  experienced  in 
being  cut  off  from  God's  sanctuary.  We  saw  that  when  his 

*  Commentary  on  the  Psalms,  by  J.  A.  Alexander,  D.D. 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  DAVID  TO  HIS  THRONE.     353 

infant  was  taken  from  him,  he  went  first  to  the  house  of 
God  to  worship ;  and  in  the  sad  days  which  succeeded  the 
death  of  Absalom  he  must  often  have  lamented  that  he  was 
unable  to  approach  the  place  where  God  peculiarly  dwelt, 
and  he  might  have  said,  "As  the  hart  panteth  after  the 
water-brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God.  My 
soul  thirsteth  for  God,  for  the  living  God :  when  shall  I 
come  and  appear  before  God  ?"  If  we  are  right  in  assign- 
ing this  date  to  that  beautiful  ode,  what  new  significance  is 
thereby  given  to  the  words, "  Deep  calleth  unto  deep  at  the 
noise  of  thy  water-spouts  :  all  thy  waves  and  thy  billows  are 
gone  over  me."  Could  we  have  a  better  description  than 
that  of  the  agony  in  the  chamber  over  Mahanaim's  gate  ?  or 
could  we  have  a  finer  calm  after  that  stormful  experience 
than  that  presented  by  the  very  next  words :  "Yet  the  Lord 
will  command  his  loving-kindness  in  the  day-time,  and  in  the 
night  his  song  shall  be  with  me,  and  my  prayer  unto  the  God 
of  my  life  ?"  while  the  recurring  refrain  comes  with  its  sooth- 
ing cadence,  and  hushes  the  soul  to  peace:  "Why  art  thou 
cast  down,  O  my  soul?  and  why  art  thou  disquieted  within 
me  ?  hope  thou  in  God :  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him,  who  is 
the  health  of  my  countenance,  and  my  God."  The  84th  is 
similar ;  and  as  the  lack  of  a  blessing  makes  us  value  it  the 
more,  we  can  well  understand  how  the  good  man  sings,  "A 
day  in  thy  courts  is  better  than  a  thousand.  I  had  rather 
be  a  door-keeper  in  the  house  of  my  God,  than  to  dwell  in 
the  tents  of  wickedness."  The  i44th  Psalm,  also,  is  held  by 
many  to  belong  to  this  era,  and  was  most  probably  written 
after  the  entire  suppression  of  Absalom's  rebellion,  and  of  the 
revolt  of  Sheba,  which  followed  so  close  upon  it.  He  makes 
public  thanksgiving  to  God  for  his  deliverance ;  and  after 
dwelling  minutely  on  the  various  elements  of  national  pros- 
perity, which  he  earnestly  supplicates  for  his  country,  he 
concludes  in  a  fine  spirit  of  patriotism,  ripening  into  piety, 


354  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

"  Happy  is  that  people,  that  is  in  such  a  case  :  yea,  happy  is 
that  people,  whose  God  is  the  Lord." 

Willingly  would  I  have  lingered  longer  over  these  sacred 
lyrics,  which  acquire  for  us  such  new  pathos  when  we 
place  them  in  the  setting  of  the  history  out  of  which  they 
sprung,  but  I  must  forbear.  Let  me  conclude,  as  usual,  by 
gleaning  a  few  practical  lessons  from  the  incidents  which 
have  this  evening  been  before  our  attention. 

Let  us  learn,  in  the  first  place,  from  Barzillai's  answer  to 
the  king,  to  test  the  allurements  of  the  world  by  the  ques- 
tion, "  How  long  have  I  to  live  ?"  The  venerable  chief  felt 
that  the  life  of  the  court  was  not  for  one  like  him,  who  had 
already  one  foot  in  the  grave ;  and  with  a  combination  of 
wisdom  and  courtesy  which  is  far  from  common,  he  deter- 
mined to  remain  in  his  old  home,  and,  after  a  brief  season, 
to  be  buried  in  the  sepulchre  of  his  fathers.  Now,  though 
we  may  not  have  reached  the  age  of  fourscore  years,  there 
is  much  in  his  question  which  can  not  fail  to  be  suggestive 
to  every  one  of  us.  The  longest  life  is  but  brief,  after  all. 

Can  we  afford,  then,  to  fritter  away  our  hours  in  idleness, 
or  to  waste  them  in  riot  and  dissipation  ?  Even  if  we  were 
sure  that  we  should  live  to  be  of  the  age  of  Methusaleh,  it 
would  still  be  criminal  in  us  to  allow  our  time  to  pass  unim- 
proved ;  but  how  much  more  is  this  the  case,  when  the  utmost 
limit  of  our  days  is  fourscore  years,  and  the  average  duration 
of  life  much  shorter  ?  Is  it  not  true  that,  for  any  thing  we 
know,  many  among  us  may  be  to-night  much  nearer  death 
than  was  Barzillai  when  he  spake  thus  pensively  to  David  ? 
and  yet  what  are  we  doing  with  our  days  and  nights  ?  What 
have  we  to  show  for  the  years  of  the  past ;  and  what  prep- 
aration have  we  made  for  eternity  ?  If  we  were  to  be  here 
forever ;  if  we  were  not  moral  and  accountable  beings ;  or 
if  the  present  state  of  existence  were  not  given  to  us  to  set- 
tle our  eternal  destiny,  we  might  have  some  excuse  for  de- 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  DAVID  TO  HIS  THRONE.     355 

voting  our  entire  energies  to  the  making  of  mone)',  or  to  the 
indulgence  of  appetite,  or  to  the  eager  chase  after  the  bubble 
reputation,  which  too  often  bursts  in  the  hand  that  grasps  it. 
But  as  it  is,  have  we  any  word  expressive  enough  to  describe 
the  folly  of  the  man  who  is  shutting  his  eyes  to  the  future 
life,  and  is  taking  no  means  whatever  to  train  his  soul  for 
everlasting  fellowship  with  God  ?  "  Art  is  long,  and  life  is 
brief,"  was  the  motto  of  the  old  masters  as  they  painted 
those  great  works  which  have  made  their  names  illustrious. 
They  felt  that  their  moments  were  too  precious  to  be  wasted 
in  trifling  or  in  sin,  and  they  gave  themselves  entirely  to  that 
labor  which  has  made  their  works  the  models  and  the  in- 
spiration of  artists  in  all  succeeding  ages.  But  what  is  the 
work  of  the  painter  in  comparison  with  that  which  God  has 
given  each  man  to  do,  "  the  working  out  of  his  own  salva- 
tion with  fear  and  trembling ;"  the  reproducing,  not  in  col- 
ors on  canvas,  but  in  living  deeds  of  holiness  and  benevo- 
lence, of  the  likeness  of  Jesus  Christ ;  the  chiseling  out,  not 
in  cold  marble,  but  in  warm  and  breathing  manhood,  of  a 
Christian  character?  That  is  a  work  great  enough  for  all 
our  energies,  and  needing  the  labor  of  every  hour  of  every 
day  of  our  lives. 

Shall  we,  then,  abstract  ourselves  from  this  glorious  life- 
aim,  and  give  ourselves  to  frivolity,  dissipation,  and  iniquity  ? 
"How  long  have  we  to  live,"  that  we  should  squander  thus  not 
merely  the  days  that  are  passing  over  us,  but  the  eternity 
of  holy  happiness  which  God  has  offered  us  in  Christ,  and 
which  can  only  be  secured  by  faithful  obedience  to  him 
here  ?  Let  the  time  past  of  our  lives  suffice  for  all  of  us 
"to  have  wrought  the  will  of  the  Gentiles."  From  this  night 
let  us  begin  anew.  Let  us,  rinding  pardon  through  the  Re- 
deemer's atonement,  and  regeneration  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  go  forward  from  this  hour,  to  consecrate  all  our 
powers,  resources,  and  opportunities,  and  every  hour  of  ev- 


356  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ery  day,  to  the  grand  ambition  of  "attaining  the  measure  of 
the  stature  of  the  perfect  man  in  Christ  Jesus."  And  when 
any  one  seeks  to  tempt  us  from  this  holy  quest,  let  us  re- 
ply, "Life  is  too  short  for  the  work  I  have  on  hand.  I 
am  doing  a  great  work,  and  I  can  not  come  down.  Why 
should  the  work  cease  while  I  leave  it  and  come  down  to 
you  ?" 

But  we  may  learn  also,  from  the  bearing  of  Mephibo- 
sheth,  how  to  be  meek  under  a  false  accusation.  We  have 
the  deepest  sympathy  for  the  son  of  Jonathan  in  the  circum- 
stances in  which  here  he  was  placed,  and  we  can  not  help 
feeling  that  David  was  not  acting  like  his  usual  self  when  he 
pronounced  his  hasty  decision  regarding  him.  He  had  forgot- 
ten at  the  moment  all  that  he  had  owed  to  his  early  friend. 
He  had  lost  sight,  for  the  time,  of  his  loving  covenant  by  the 
stone  Ezel,  when  the  two  heroes  wept  so  long  upon  each  oth- 
er's necks.  Even  if  Mephibosheth  had  been  guilty  of  all  that 
Ziba  had  laid  to  his  charge,  the  memory  of  Jonathan  might 
have  pleaded  for  forgiveness ;  but  when,  as  I  think  I  have 
satisfactorily  shown,  the  crippled  prince  was  really  innocent, 
David's  treatment  of  him  was  in  a  marked  degree  ungener- 
ous. Yet  how  nobly  Mephibosheth  behaves !  He  does  not 
care  for  his  own  interests.  He  seeks  no  revenge  on  Ziba. 
It  is  enough  for  him  that  the  king  has  come  to  his  own 
again.  He  is  even  content  to  be  under  suspicion,  if  but  Da- 
vid may  be  prosperous.  How  beautiful  is  all  this !  It  re- 
minds us  of  his  father's  nobleness  in  giving  up  all  claim  to 
the  throne,  and  being  willing  to  be  David's  subordinate  ;  and 
in  similar  circumstances  we  may  imitate  his  demeanor  with 
advantage. 

We  need  not  expect  to  pass  through  the  world  without  be- 
ing sometimes  falsely  accused,  and  wrongfully  treated.  He 
who  can  not  err  has  said  to  his  followers,  "Woe  unto  you 
when  all  men  speak  well  of  you  ;"  and  we  have  reason  to 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  DAVID  TO  HIS  THRONE.     357 

fear  that  there  is  something  defective  in  us,  or  amiss  with  us, 
if  every  body  is  on  our  side.  Only  let  us  see  that,  when  we 
are  accused,  we  are  accuse'd  falsely ;  and  that,  when  we  do 
suffer,  we  suffer  wrongfully,  for  Christ's  sake ;  and  then  we 
may  take  it  not  only  patiently,  but  joyfully.  It  will  be  right 
and  proper  for  us,  like  Mephibosheth  here,  to  give  the  true 
version  of  affairs ;  but  if  after  that  injustice  should  come 
upon  us,  let  us  bear  it  meekly,  remembering  Him  who  "  when 
he  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again,  and  who  when  he  suffered, 
threatened  not,  but  committed  himself  to  him  that  judgeth 
righteously."  He  who  is  always  standing  on  his  own  vindi- 
cation, and  insisting  on  having  himself  put  right,  will  do  him- 
self and  the  cause  more  harm  than  good.  Let  him  be  still, 
and  God  will  vindicate  him.  If  men  will  not  take  his  word, 
let  him  wait  until  God  proves  his  truthfulness.  The  Chris- 
tian has  always  his  court  of  appeal  in  heaven,  and  God  will 
vindicate  him  at  length.  Let  him  even  consent  to  be  de- 
frauded, therefore,  rather  than  insist  on  what  would  be  only 
justice.  God  will  take  care  of  him  ;  "for  curses,  like  chick- 
ens, go  home  to  roost,"  and  false  accusations,  like  the  boom- 
erang, gojaack  to  the  hand  by  which  they  have  been  flung. 

From  the  Psalms  which  were  written  by  David  in  this 
crisis  of  his  history,  we  may  learn  how  precious  a  solace 
communion  with  God  is  to  the  believer  in  the  time  of  trial. 
We  have  repeatedly  seen  how,  in  days  of  calamity  and  dark- 
ness, it  was  the  habit  of  David's  soul  to  fall  back  into  the 
arms  of  Jehovah.  At  other  times  he  might  forget  the  Lord, 
but  in  his  hours  of  trouble,  he  was  driven  for  shelter  beneath 
the  shadow  of  the  almighty  wings ;  ay,  even  when,  on  an  oc- 
casion like  this,  he  could  not  but  feel  that  his  miseries  were 
the  consequences  of  his  own  sins,  he  came,  in  humble  peni- 
tence and  confidence,  to  Jehovah,  and  was  "in  no  wise  cast 
out." 

I  do  not  know  if  there  be,  even  in  the  Word  of  God  itself, 


358  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

a  more  precious  manifestation  of  the  magnanimous  mercy  of 
Jehovah  to  the  penitent  believer  than  that  which  is  furnished 
by  his  treatment  of  David  at  this  time.  Consider  what  this 
man  has  done ;  think  that  all  the  evils  which  he  is  now  en- 
during are  the  results  of  his  own  aggravated  transgression ; 
yet  behold  how  God  soothes,  sustains,  and  restores  him ;  so 
that  he  can  sing,  "  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul  ?  and 
why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me  ?  hope  thou  in  God :  for  I 
shall  yet  praise  him,  who  is  the  health  of  my  countenance, 
and  my  God."  Who  dares  to  say  after  this  that  the  Lord 
is  a  hard  master,  or  an  austere  one  ?  Or  who  needs  despair, 
after  such  an  exhibition  of  his  grace  as  this  ?  Is  there  a 
backslider  here  to-night,  who,  in  the  thickening  of  calamities 
around  him,  is  made  to  remember  his  iniquities,  and  to  groan 
under  the  burden  of  his  guilt,  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord 
like  David,  and  he  will  be  received  as  David  was.  It  is  as 
true  now  as  it  was  of  old,  that "  he  giveth  songs  in  the  night," 
and,  amidst  the  manifold  music  of  this  harmonious  universe, 
there  is  none  so  sweet  in  the  ear  of  Jehovah  as  the  night- 
ingale song  that  comes  trilling  from  a  penitent  heart  in  the 
midnight  of  its  tribulation.  It  is  but  natural  for  the  prosper- 
ous soul  to  sing  when,  like  the  lark,  it  is  soaring  up  to  the 
very  gate  of  heaven  ;  but  when  the  spirit  is  in  darkness,  and 
finds  peace  in  penitence  and  trust,  the  gush  of  music  that 
comes  welling  up  from  its  depths  is  more  than  natural — it  is 
a  triumph  of  grace ;  and  as  such  is  ever  sweater  in  the  ears 
of  God.  "  The  broken  spirit  is  to  him  a  pleasing  sacrifice." 
Will  no  repentant  one  offer  such  a  sacrifice  to  him  to-night  ? 
And  thou,  tempest-tossed  and  distracted  brother,  whose  trials 
have  well-nigh  overwhelmed  thee,  though  thou  canst  not 
trace  them  to  any  particular  cause,  take  heart  from  David's 
experience.  He  who  sustained  the  Psalmist  will  never  fail 
thee,  nor  forsake  thee.  The  sure  anchorage  on  which  David 
rode  out  even  this  terrific  storm  will  hold  thee  safe.  Cheer 


THE  RESTORATION  OF  DAVID  TO  HIS  THRONE.     359 

thee,  then,  for  God  is  with  thee  ;  and  When  the  gale  is  ended, 
and  life's  voyage  over,  thou  shalt  be  with  him. 

In  the  English  Channel  there  is  a  beneficent  light-house, 
which  for  more  than  a  century  has  braved  the  storms  of  win- 
ter. Many  and  many  a  time  for  days  together,  as  the  waves 
broke  completely  over  it,  it  has  not  been  seen  from  the 
shore,  and  men  almost  feared  that  it  had  been  swept  away ; 
but  when  the  storm  was  down,  there  it  stood  still,  throwing 
its  light  across  the  waters,  because  it  is  not  only  founded  on, 
but  built  into,  the  rock.  Like  that  noble  tower,  my  brother, 
thou  art  built  upon,  and  into,  the  Rock  of  Ages.  Thou  art 
so  one  with  him  as  to  be  a  part  of  himself;  and  let  the  hur- 
ricane howl  its  loudest,  and  the  waves  dash  with  their  fiercest 
might,  no  real  harm  can  come  to  thee.  They  must  sweep 
him  away  if  they  would  ingulf  thee  ;  and  no  storm  of  pas- 
sion, or  persecution,  or  treachery,  or  antagonism  of  any  kind 
can  shake  his  everlasting  foundations. 

Well  might  David  sing  when  he  was  uphgld  by  such  a 
God  ;  and  if  but  we  had  faith  in  him,  we  too  might  bid  defi- 
ance to  the  allied  powers  of  earth  and  hell.  "Lord,  increase 
our  faith !"  and  then  our  power,  our  purity,  and  our  peace 
shall  grow  in  like  proportion.  "  Lord,  increase  our  faith !" 
and  then, 

"  Though  troubles  rise,  and  terrors  frown, 

And  days  of  darkness  fall, 
Through  thee,  all  dangers  we'll  defy, 
And  more  than  conquer  all." 


XX. 

FAMINE  AND  PESTILENCE 

2  SAMUEL  xxii. ;  xxiv. 

AFTER  David's  restoration  to  the  throne,  Palestine  was 
desolated  by  a  famine  which  lasted  for  three  years. 
From  the  peculiar  character  of  our  climate,  we  can  scarcely 
realize  the  magnitude  of  such  a  calamity,  which  was  proba- 
bly caused  by  drought ;  but  the  description  given  of  a  simi- 
lar visitation  in  the  days  of  Elijah,  as  well  as  the  accounts 
which  have  been  given  within  the  last  ten  years,  of  the  terri- 
ble sufferings  which  were  endured  from  the  same  cause  by 
the  inhabitants  of  Orissa  and  Rajpootana,  may  help  us  some- 
what to  understand  what  an  Eastern  famine  is.  During  these 
weary  years  no  rain  had  fallen  to  refresh  the  thirsty  land  ;  no 
fields  had  waved  with  rich  luxuriance ;  no  barn-yards  had 
been  filled  with  stores  of  grain.  The  shouting  of  the  vint- 
age, the  song  of  the  reaper,  and  the  mirth  of  harvest-home 
had  not  been  heard  in  the  land,  and  want  had  stamped  each 
human  countenance  with  its  sharp,  deep  die.  Many  of  the 
inhabitants  had  perished,  and  everywhere  were  weeping  wid- 
ows wringing  their  hands  in  despair,  and  orphaned  children 
mourning  for  parents  whom  they  would  see  no  more. 

In  the  midst  of  this  wide-spread  desolation,  the  people 
thought  of  God ;  and  David  was  only  representing  their  deep 
yearning  of  heart  when  he  went  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  what 
was  the  cause  of  the  terrible  calamity  which  had  come  upon 
them.  A  proud  philosophy,  in  these  modern  days,  would 
say  that  all  this  was  the  merest  superstition  ;  inasmuch  as 
all  such  things  as  famine  and  pestilence  make  their  appear- 


FAMINE  AND  PESTILENCE.  361 

ance  in  accordance  with  natural  laws,  and  have  no  connec- 
tion with  the  moral  character  of  a  community ;  while  prayer 
for  their  removal,  being  a  virtual  request  that  God  should  in- 
terfere with  the  operation  of  these  laws  and  work  a  miracle  in 
their  suspension,  must  ever  be  in  vain.  But  there  are  things 
deeper  and  truer  than  any  such  philosophy,  and  among  these 
I  place  the  spiritual  instincts  of  the  human  heart.  Why  is  it, 
we  are  disposed  to  ask,  that  in  almost  all  languages  pestilence 
has  been  called  by  a  name  which — like  our  own  word  plague, 
which  means  a  stroke — directly  points  to  God's  agency  in 
its  appearance  ?  and  whence  comes  it  that,  when  a  people  are 
enduring  such  a  calamity,  there  is  a  general  thought  of  God 
among  them,  and  their  resolution  becomes  that  of  Jeremiah  : 
"Let  us  search,  and  try  our  ways,  and  turn  again  unto  the 
Lord?"  Do  not  these  things,  and  others  like  them,  point  to 
the  fact  that,  by  the  mystic  intuitions  of  the  soul,  God  is  rec- 
ognized in  all  such  visitations?  and  while  we  take  into  ac- 
count the  laws  of  external  nature,  shall  we  refuse  to  pay  re- 
gard to  the  nature  that  is  within  us  ?  Besides,  this  assertion 
of  the  supremacy  of  law,  which  is  so  characteristic  of  some 
schools  of  philosophy,  is,  after  all,  a  virtual  atheism.  For  if 
we  admit  that  there  is  a  personal  God,  and  that  he  is  in  any 
real  sense  the  moral  governor  of  mankind,  the  conclusion  is 
irresistible,  that  he  regulates  the  occurrences  of  the  physical 
universe  with  a  view  to  the  moral  training  of  his  human  crea- 
tures. How  he  does  so,  while  yet  the  order  of  the  physical 
universe  is  maintained,  we  can  not  explain ;  that  he  does  so, 
must  be  admitted  by  us  frankly,  unless  we  make  his  provi- 
dence a  nonentity,  and  his  personal  existence  a  delusion.  As 
Isaac  Taylor  has  remarked,  "  This  is,  in  fact,  the  great  mira- 
cle of  providence,  that  no  miracles  are  needed  to  accomplish 
its  purposes."  It  is  all  very  well  to  say  that  there  can  be  no 
true  nexus  between  a  moral  evil  and  a  physical  calamity,  and 
I  grant  at  once  that  there  is  no  such  immediate  sequence  in 

16 


362  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

such  a  case,  as  there  is  between  a  physical  cause  and  a  phys- 
ical effect ;  but  there  is  a  very  real  connection  for  all  that. 
The  disobedience  of  your  child  does  not  cause  the  infliction 
of  punishment  on  him  by  you  in  the  same  way  that  the  fall- 
ing of  a  spark  on  gunpowder  causes  an  explosion.  But  there 
is  a  very  intimate  relationship  between  the  two,  notwithstand- 
ing ;  and  it  is  a  relationship  established  by  the  moral  char- 
acter of  the  parental  government.  Now,  the  connection  be- 
tween men's  disobedience  and  God's  infliction  of  chastise- 
ment upon  them  through  his  physical  laws  is  of  a  similar 
sort.  Nor  let  any  one  say  that  moral  evil  should  be  visited 
only  with  a  punishment  that  shall  tell  only  on  the  moral  part 
of  man's  nature.  We  reach  the  moral  through  the  physical. 
The  punishment,  to  tell  upon  the  individual,  must  be  inflict- 
ed where  it  will  be  most  felt ;  and  just  as  the  parent  seeks  to 
benefit  his  child  morally,  by  inflicting  on  him  some  physical 
suffering,  so  God,  in  his  government  of  the  world,  checks  the 
sins  of  men  by  sending  upon  communities  the  physical  calam- 
ities of  pestilence,  famine,  and  the  like.  I  do  not  deny,  of 
course,  that  these  calamities  come  through  the  ordinary  op- 
eration of  law ;  what  I  affirm  is,  that  these  laws  have  been  so 
adjusted  by  the  Divine  Governor  of  the  world,  that  through 
them,  and  -without  any  miraculous  interference  with  them,  he 
visits  moral  evil  with  physical  chastisement ;  and  so  it  is  not 
superstition,  but  rather  the  truest  piety  and  the  highest  phi- 
losophy, which  leads  a  people,  under  such  a  visitation  as  that 
of  famine,  to  turn  to  Jehovah,  saying,  "  Show  us  wherefore 
thou  contendest  with  us." 

These  general  principles  will  hold  in  any  country  and  in 
any  age,  but  they  had  special  force  among  the  Jews,  from  the 
fact  that  the  sanctions  of  the  covenant,  Jn  terms  of  which 
they  held  the  land  of  promise,  were  mainly  temporal  and 
physical.  The  blessings  promised  as  the  reward  of  their 
obedience  were  principally  such  as  could  be  enjoyed  on 


FAMINE  AND  PESTILENCE.  363 

earth,  and  the  penalties  set  forth  as  the  consequences  of 
their  disobedience  were  chiefly  physical  calamities.  I  would 
be  slow,  indeed,  to  allege  that,  in  the  sanctions  of  the  old 
covenant,  there  was  no  allusion  whatever  to  the  future  state ; 
but,  speaking  generally,  I  would  repeat  that  the  promises 
and  threatenings  of  the  Mosaic  economy  had  special  and 
primary  reference  to  earthly  things.  This  is  seen  all  through 
the  history  of  the  Jewish  nation ;  but  it  comes  out  with  pe- 
culiar prominence  in  the  terms  of  the  covenant  itself,  as 
these  are  given  in  the  twenty -seventh  and  twenty-eighth 
chapters  of  the  book  of  Deuteronomy,  where,  among  many 
similar  promises,  we  find  this,  conditioned  on  the  obedience 
of  the  people.  "The  Lord  shall  make  thee  plenteous  in 
goods,  in  the  fruit  of  thy  body,  and  in  the  fruit  of  thy  cattle, 
and  in  the  fruit  of  thy  ground,  in  the  land  which  the  Lord 
sware  unto  thy  fathers  to  give  thee.  The  Lord  shall  open 
unto  thee  his  good  treasure,  the  heaven  to  give  the  rain  unto 
thy  land  in  his  season,  and  to  bless  all  the  work  of  thine 
hand."  In  like  manner,  among  the  threatenings  denounced 
against  their  unfaithfulness,  these  words  occur :  "  Thy  heav- 
en that  is  over  thy  head  shall  be  brass,  and  the  earth  that 
is  under  thee  shall  be  iron.  The  Lord  shall  make  the  rain 
of  thy  land  powder  and  dust :  from  heaven  shall  it  come 
down  upon  thee,  until  thou  be  destroyed."  Now  there  is 
nothing  of  miraculous  intervention  with  nature's  laws  hinted 
at  in  all  this,  for  when  these  blessings  and  chastisements  did 
come,  they  came  in  the  ordinary  course  of  nature ;  but  with 
such  statements  as  these  in  the  book  of  their  law,  it  was  not 
only  natural,  but  right,  for  David  and  the  people  to  look  for 
a  spiritual  cause  for  all  their  sufferings,  and  to  inquire  why 
such  a  prolonged  famine  had  come  upon  them. 

But  while  it  is  comparatively  easy  to  vindicate  David's 
procedure  in  inquiring  at  the  Lord  from  the  sneers  of  a 
proud  and  really  atheistic  philosophy,  the  reply  which  he 


364  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

received  from  the  sacred  oracle,  and  the  action  which  he 
took  thereon,  introduce  new  questions  whose  solution  is  at- 
tended with  much  greater  difficulty.  The  Lord  answered, 
"It  is  for  Saul,  and  for  his  bloody  house,  because  he  slew 
the  Gibeonites."  The  name  of  this  people  brings  up  the 
old  story  of  the  deception  which  their  fathers  played  on 
Joshua  and  the  tribes  when  they  were  taking  possession  of 
the  land  of  Canaan.  Disguising  themselves  with  old  gar- 
ments and  clouty  shoes,  and  taking  old  sacks  upon  their 
asses,  and  wine -bottles,  old  and  rent  and  bound  up,  they 
came  to  Joshua  at  Gilgal ;  and  making  it  appear  that  they 
had  traveled  a  long  distance,  they  desired  to  form  a  league 
with  him.  The  unsuspicious  leader  fell  into  the  trap  which 
they  had  laid  for  him  ;  and  though  the  discovery  of  their 
craftiness  naturally  provoked  the  people,  the  princes  coun- 
seled that  they  should  be  faithful  to  their  oath,  saying,  "  We 
have  sworn  unto  them  by  the  Lord  God  of  Israel :  now 
therefore  we  may  not  touch  them.  This  we  will  do  to  them  ; 
we  will  even  let  them  live,  lest  wrath  be  on  us,  because  of 
the  oath  which  we  sware  unto  them.  And  the  princes  said 
unto  them,  Let  them  live ;  but  let  them  be  hewers  of  wood 
and  drawers  of  water  unto  all  the  congregation."  This 
proposal  was  agreed  to ;  and  thus  it  happened  that,  though 
they  belonged  to  the  guilty  race  of  the  Amorites,  these  Gib- 
eonites lived  for  four  hundred  years  among  the  tribes  of  Is- 
rael, in  peaceful  servitude  and  uncomplaining  submission. 
But  Saul,  for  some  reason  or  other,  conceived  an  aversion  to 
them,  and  set  himself  to  accomplish  their  extermination. 

Perhaps  in  one  of  those  spasmodic  fits  of  religious  enthu- 
siasm to  which  we  saw  he  was  so  liable,  he  may  have  imag- 
ined that  zeal  for  the  honor  of  God  required  him  to  root  out 
the  Gibeonites  from  the  land,  or  more  probably  he  desired 
to  get  possession  of  their  lands  for  himself  and  his  favorites  ; 
but  in  any  case,  in  dealing  thus  with  the  men  of  Gibeon,  he 


FAMINE  AND  PESTILENCE.  365 

distinctly  violated — without  any  justifiable  reason — the  cov- 
enant made  with  them  by  Joshua.  We  have  no  mention,  in 
the  history  of  Saul,  of  this  raid  made  by  him  upon  the  Gib- 
eonites,  and  we  hear  of  it  now  for  the  first  time  after  he  had 
been  dead  and  buried  for  thirty  years.  But  let  no  one  think 
it  strange  that  the  penalty  should  come  thus,  in  famine,  upon 
an  entire  nation,  after  a  new  generation  had  sprung  up. 
For  a  nation's  history  is  a  unit;  and  as  there  can  be  no 
such  thing  as  retribution  of  a  nation  in  the  future  state,  it 
follows  that  if  punishment  for  national  sins  is  to  be  inflicted 
at  all,  it  must  fall  in  the  subsequent  earthly  history  of  the 
nation  that  committed  them.  The  generation  which  was 
alive  in  France  at  the  eras  of  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew and  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  was  a  dif- 
ferent one  from  that  which  lived  at  the  time  of  the  first  Rev- 
olution ;  yet  in  the  events  of  the  latter,  with  its  Reign  of 
Terror  and  rivers  of  blood,  we  have  the  undoubted  conse- 
quences of  the  former.  Many  generations  have  come  and 
gone  in  Spain  since  the  days  of  Philip  and  the  great  Arma- 
da, yet  we  can  not  doubt  that  the  miserable  condition  of 
that  land  for  more  than  a  century — a  condition  out  of  which 
its  inhabitants  find  it  hard  even  now  to  emerge — was  due  to 
the  sins  of  those  who  knew  not  the  day  of  their  visitation, 
"and  suppressed  the  Protestantism  which,  but  for  the  Inqui- 
sition, would  have  arisen  among  them,  and  enabled  them  to 
lead  the  van  of  European  progress.  The  English  occupants 
of  India  in  1857  were  not  the  same  as  those  who,  under 
Clive,  and  Hastings,  and  others,  so  unrighteously  obtained 
possession  of  large  portions  of  that  empire  ;  nay,  they  were 
in  many  instances  men  of  another  order  and  a  nobler  na- 
ture ;  yet  upon  these,  ay,  even  upon  the  heads  of  sainted 
missionaries  who  repudiated  and  condemned  the  cruelty  and 
craft  of  the  first  invaders,  the  terrible  Nemesis  of  the  mutiny 
did  fall.  Hence  there  is  nothing  out  of  keeping  with  God's 


366  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

usual  procedure,  in  the  fact  that  forty  years  after  a  national 
sin  had  been  committed  by  Israel  under  Saul,  the  punish- 
ment came,  and  fell  upon  a  generation  different  from  that 
which  had  been  guilty  of  the  wrong.  Though  the  genera- 
tion was  different,  the  nation  was  the  same.  God  is  indeed 
"  a  jealous  God,  visiting  the  iniquities  of  the  fathers  upon 
the  children  unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation." 

It  may  be  asked,  however,  why  should  such  chastisement 
come  upon  the  tribes  of  Israel  for  Saul's  massacre  of  the 
Gibeonites,  rather  than  for  his  murder  of  the  priests  of  Nob  ? 
and  perhaps  a  satisfactory  answer  may  be  found  in  the  fol- 
lowing considerations :  First,  the  people  did  not  sympathize 
with  Saul  in  his  attack  upon  the  priests,  but  were  so  dread- 
fully shocked  by  his  impiety  that  none  save  Doeg,  the  alien 
Edomite,  could  be  found  to  carry  his  murderous  order  on 
that  occasion  into  execution.  In  regard  to  the  Gibeonites, 
however,  as  Saul  is  here  said  to  have  slain  them  "  in  his  zeal 
to  the  children  of  Israel  and  Judah,"  it  seems  likely  that  the 
people  generally  were  on  his  side,  and  aiders  and  abettors 
in  his  crime,  if  not,  indeed,  the  first  suggesters  of  it.  Sec- 
ond, it  is  probable  that  even  at  the  moment  of  the  famine, 
the  people,  or  at  least  some  portion  of  them,  were  actually 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  the  destruction  of  the  Gibeonites. 
This,  at  least,  is  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Kitto,*  indorsed  and 
adopted  by  Dr.  Blaikie  ;  and  it  is  presumably  correct.  You 
remember  that  when  Saul  saw  David's  party  growing  strong 
in  the  land,  he  said  to  his  courtiers,  "  Hear  now,  ye  Benja- 
mites,  will  the  son  of  Jesse  give  every  one  of  you  fields  and 
vineyards,  and  make  you  captains  of  hundreds  and  captains 
of  thousands?"  Now  this  implies  that  he  had  made  such 
gifts  to  some,  if  not  to  all  of  them.  But  where  did  he  get 
these  fields  and  vineyards  ?  They  could  not  be  part  of  his 

*  "  Daily  Bible  Readings,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  479. 


FAMINE  AND  PESTILENCE.  367 

patrimonial  possession,  for  that  was  too  small  to  be  parceled 
out  among  his  followers ;  neither  could  they  be  allotments 
of  territory  taken  from  the  Philistines,  or  other  enemies  of 
Israel,  for  his  success  against  them  was  never  so  great  as  to 
enable  him  to  enrich  any  one  with  its  spoils.  But  in  the 
eviction  or  destruction  of  the  Gibeonites,  now  mentioned  for 
the  first  time,  we  may  perhaps  conjecture  that  Saul  found 
the  means  for  making  the  gifts  to  which,  in  the  words  al- 
ready quoted,  he  so  boastfully  alludes.  One  of  the  towns 
of  the  Gibeonites  was  in  Judah,  and  three  of  them  in  Benja- 
min ;  and  out  of  these  and  the  surrounding  districts  the  son 
of  Kish  might  make  provision  for  his  favorites.  The  fact 
that  the  Gibeonites  were  not  an  integral  portion  of  the  chos- 
en people,  might  furnish  him  with  a  pretext  for  attacking 
them ;  while  the  hope  of  gain  would  silence  all  the  scruples 
of  his  followers,  and  induce  them  to  make  common  cause 
with  their  king  against  their  defenseless  dependents.  Now 
if  these  conjectures  be  correct,  they  will  explain  not  only 
why  punishment  came  upon  the  land  for  the  slaughter  of 
the  Gibeonites,  and  not  for  that  of  the  priests,  but  also  why, 
in  the  expiation  demanded  by  the  Gibeonites,  the  victims 
were  chosen  from  the  house  of  Saul. 

But  this  selection  of  victims  by  the  Gibeonites  suggests 
another  of  the  singular  difficulties  of  this  narrative.  Why 
was  the  form  of  expiation  for  this  sin  of  Saul's  referred  by 
David  to  the  Gibeonites,  and  not  directly  to  God,  who  had 
indicated  the  sin  for  which  the  famine  was  a  visitation  ?  The 
answer  to  this  question  must  be  sought  in  the  old  Eastern 
custom  of  blood-revenge.  When  murder  had  been  commit- 
ted, the  nearest  of  kin  to  the  murdered  person  was  empower- 
ed to  put  the  murderer  to  death  wherever  he  might  find  him ; 
and  if  the  murderer  himself  was  not  killed  by  the  nearest  of 
kin  then  living,  the  right  descended  to  the  next  generation, 
and  the  son  of  the  one  might  kill  the  son  of  the  other ;  nay, 


368  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

the  obligation  held  for  many  generations,  and  was  never  re- 
laxed until  the  offender  himself,  or,  if  he  was  dead,  his  rep- 
resentative, had  paid  the  fatal  ransom.  By  the  Mosaic  law 
this  custom  was  regulated,  and  some  of  its  most  objection- 
able features  removed  through  the  provision  of  the  cities  of 
refuge ;  but  among  the  Gibeonites,  who  did  not  hold  them- 
selves bound  by  Jewish  law,  the  ancient  practice  appears  to 
have  been  maintained  in  all  its  original  stringency.  Hence, 
knowing  that  no  real  removal  of  their  grievance  was  possi- 
ble without  appealing  to  them,  David  inquired  what  they  de- 
manded as  a  satisfaction,  and  their  answer,  while  indicating 
that  they  were  willing  to  restrict  themselves  within  narrow 
limits,  also  declared  that  within  these  limits  they  were  per- 
fectly inexorable,  and  would  accept  of  no  pecuniary  ransom. 
They  had  a  claim  on  the  whole  nation,  but  they  would  con- 
fine themselves  to  the  family  of  Saul ;  and  so  they  replied, 
"The  man  that  consumed  us,  and  that  devised  against  us, 
that  we  should  be  destroyed  from  remaining  in  any  of  the 
coasts  of  Israel,  let  seven  men  of  his  sons  be  delivered  unto 
us,  and  we  will  hang  them  up  unto  the  Lord  in  Gibeah  of 
Saul,  whom  the  Lord  did  choose."  With  a  sad  heart  we  may 
be  sure  David  said,  "I  will  give  them."  Then  came  the 
painful  work  of  selecting  the  victims.  Of  course  Mephibo- 
sheth  and  his  household  were  saved,  for  David  remembered  his 
covenant  with  Jonathan  ;  but  he  took  two  of  the  sons  of  Riz- 
pah,  that  one  of  Saul's  concubines  concerning  whom  the  dis- 
pute arose  between  Ishbosheth  and  Abner,  and  also  five  sons 
of  Merab,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Saul,  who  had  been  wedded 
to  Adriel,  the  son  of  Barzillai,  the  Meholathite,  one  whom 
we  must  carefully  distinguish  from  the  venerable  chief  of 
Rogelim,  whose  kindness  David  had  so  warmly  appreciated. 
Bitter  must  have  been  the  anguish  of  the  homes  on  which 
this  dire  calamity  alighted ;  nor  may  we  attempt  to  depict 
the  agony  of  the  parents,  as  their  loved  ones  were  torn  from 


FAMINE  AND  PESTILENCE.  369 

their  embrace  and  given  up  to  death.  Suffice  it  to  say  that 
the  Gibeonites  put  them  to  death,  and  hung  their  bodies  on 
gibbets  on  the  hill  of  Gibeah,  that  place  having  been  select- 
ed because  it  was  the  head-quarters  of  the  house  of  Saul. 

But  not  unattended  were  these  seven  dismal  scaffolds ;  for 
day  and  night,  through  long  weeks,  a  female  form  flitted  to 
and  fro  among  them,  lavishing  special  care  upon  the  bodies 
of  the  two  sons  of  Saul ;  and  as  we  see  the  haggard  Rizpah, 
with  her  lean  and  bony  hands,  scaring  away  the  ravens  by 
day  and  the  wild  beasts  by  night,  our  hearts  are  filled  with 
pity  for  her  sonless  desolation.  What  a  deep  fountain  is  .a 
mother's  heart !  With  a  love  stronger  than  death,  she  cared 
for  no  privations ;  she  feared  no  dangers ;  she  heeded  no 
hardships,  if  only  she  might  save  the  bodies  of  her  sons  from 
desecration !  Such  passionate  devotion  must  have  moved 
every  heart ;  and  when  David  heard  of  it,  he  took  steps  to 
secure  decent  burial  for  the  bodies  of  those  whom  the  Gibe- 
onites had  slain ;  and  while  engaged  in  this  office  of  kind- 
ness, he  bethought  himself  of  the  bones  of  Saul  and  Jona- 
than, which  he  caused  to  be  exhumed  from  their  resting- 
place  at  Jabesh,  and  to  be  interred  in  the  family  sepulchre 
of  Kish.  Then,  this  atonement  having  been  made,  the  rain 
descended,  in  token  that  God  was  entreated  for  the, land. 

I  have  refrained  from  any  remark  on  the  character  of  this 
whole  transaction,  because,  from  our  ignorance  of  Eastern 
customs  generally,  and  especially  of  that  rude  form  of  jus- 
tice prevalent  among  the  Orientals  called  blood-revenge,  we 
are,  to  a  great  extent,  incapacitated  from  pronouncing  judg- 
ment upon  it.  Evidently,  however,  the  whole  thing  was  re- 
garded by  David,  by  the  Gibeonites,  and  by  the  members  of 
Saul's  family  themselves,  as  a  judicial  affair.  We  read  of  no 
vindictive  violence  on  the  part  of  the  Gibeonites  in  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  victims  were  put  to  death ;  we  hear  of  no 
resistance  to  their  demands  on  the  side  of  the  family  of  Saul  ; 

1 6* 


370  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

and  we  see  in  David's  demeanor  all  through  a  kind  of  con- 
straint, which  indicates  that  he  went  through  with  it  only 
with  the  deepest  reluctance,  and  under  a  sense  of  the  strong- 
est obligation.  Indeed,  the  entire  negotiation  bears  a  resem- 
blance to  the  extradition  of  criminals  by  one  country  to  an- 
other, that  they  may  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  laws  of 
the  realm  in  which  their  crime  was  committed,  the  only  dif- 
ference being  that  here  the  descendants  of  the  criminals  were 
held  to  be  their  representatives,  and  dealt  with  as  if  they  had 
themselves  committed  the  evil  deed ;  whereas  in  our  mod- 
ern times,  the  criminal  himself  can  alone  be  made  amena- 
ble to  the  law.  This  difference,  however,  arises  from  the  pe- 
culiar custom  to  which  I  have  adverted,  and  the  fact  that,  af- 
ter the  execution  of  Saul's  descendants,  God  was  entreated 
for  the  land,  appears  conclusive  that  their  death  was  regard- 
ed by  him  as  a  public  vindication  of  that  justice  which  Saul 
had  outraged  by  his  attack  upon  the  Gibeonites. 

After  this  sore  famine,  the  land  of  Israel  was  again  ex- 
posed to  the  evils  of  war.  David's  old  enemies,  the  Philis- 
tines, took  the  field  against  him  once  more,  having  in  their 
ranks  some  men  of  gigantic  stature  and  great  strength,  be- 
longing to  the  family  of  Goliath.  One  of  these,  by  name 
Ishbi-benob,  pressed  so  sore  against  the  king  in  a  hand-to- 
hand  encounter,  that,  but  for  the  interference  of  Abishai,  Da- 
vid would  have  been  slain.  The  old  courage  was  in  him 
still,  but  the  old  strength  was  gone ;  so  his  army  besought 
him  not  to  run  such  risk  again,  and  prevailed  on  him  not  to 
take  the  field  in  person  any  more  ;  but  they  did  not  fight  the 
less  bravely  because  their  chief  was  not  with  them,  for  in  one 
or  two  decisive  encounters  the  Philistines  seem  to  have  been 
entirely  subdued.  Yet  David's  troubles  did  not  end  with 
the  defeat  of  his  enemies,  for  a  sore  pestilence  came  upon 
the  land,  which  cut  off  seventy  thousand  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  account  of  this  visitation,  indeed,  is  not  given  until  the 


FAMINE  AND  PESTILENCE.  371 

twenty-fourth  chapter  of  2  Samuel,  but  it  will  be  more  con- 
venient to  introduce  it  here,  and  I  shall  attempt  in  my  sum- 
mary of  the  recorded  facts  to  weave  together  the  two  narra- 
tives of  Samuel  and  the  Chronicles. 

For  some  reason  not  given,  but  most  probably  because  of 
the  pride  of  the  people  in  their  national  greatness,  God  was 
displeased  with  Israel,  and  the  punishment  came  in  connec- 
tion with  the  command  of  David  to  number  Israel  and  Ju- 
dah.  In  the  one  account  we  are  told  that  God  moved  Da- 
vid to  give  this  command ;  in  the  other,  it  is  alleged  that  Sa- 
tan stood  up  against  Israel,  and  provoked  David  to  number 
the  people.  But  the  meaning  is  that  God  permitted  Satan 
thus  to  move  David,  in  order  that  through  his  act  an  oppor- 
tunity might  arise  for  the  punishment  of  Israel's  sin.  The 
command  of  David  was  not  sinful  in  itself,  but  became  so, 
from  the  spirit  of  pride  and  vainglory  out  of  which  it  origi- 
nated, and  which  was  shared  with  him  by  the  people  over 
whom  he  ruled.  The  law  provided  for  the  taking  of  a  cen- 
sus of  the  population,  but  in  connection  with  the  enumera- 
tion, and  probably  to  check  the  disposition  to  boasting  which 
it  was  likely  to  evoke,  it  enacted  thus  (Exod.  xxx.,  12): 
"  When  thou  takest  the  sum  of  the  children  of  Israel  after 
their  number,  then  shall  they  give  every  man  a  ransom  for 
his  soul  unto  the  Lord,  when  thou  numberest  them ;  that 
there  be  no  plague  among  them,  when  thou  numberest  them. 
This  they  shall  give,  every  one  that  passeth  among  them  that 
are  numbered,  half  a  shekel  after  the  shekel  of  the  sanctua- 
ry :  a  half-shekel  shall  be  the  offering  of  the  Lord."  Now 
we  have  no  record  of  the  making  of  this  offering  here,  and 
Josephus  affirms  that,  in  the  neglect  of  this  offering,  we  have 
the  occasion  of  the  pestilence  that  followed  —  a  suggestion 
which  may  well  enough  be  correct,  especially  when  we  re- 
flect that  the  omission  of  this  acknowledgment  of  God  may 
be  regarded  as  indicating  the  presence  of  that  spirit  of  vain- 


372  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

glory  which  God  designed  to  punish  ai/d  repress.  In  this 
matter  Joab,  strangely  enough,  seems  to  have  been  wiser  than 
David,  for  he  not  only  protested  against  the  taking  of  the 
census,  but,  after  he  was  commanded  to  carry  it  out,  he  un- 
dertook it  with  undisguised  reluctance,  and  (as  we  learn  from 
i  Chron.  xxi.,  6)  left  it  unfinished,  by  declining  to  take  the 
numbers  of  the  tribes  of  Levi  and  Benjamin.  Indeed,  it  is 
affirmed  that  "  the  king's  word  was  abominable  unto  him." 
Nay,  more,  David  himself  appears  to  have  shrunk  from  add- 
ing up  the  total,  for  it  is  recorded  (i  Chron.  xxvii.,  23)  that 
he  did  not  take  "the  number  of  them  from  twenty  years  old 
and  under :  because  the  Lord  had  said  he  would  increase  Is- 
rael like  to  the  stars  of  the  heavens."  Thus  this  census  was 
never  finished ;  and  it  is  solemnly  said,  "  Neither  was  the 
number  put  in  the  account  of  the  Chronicles  of  king  David." 
First  among  the  things  that  hindered  it  there  came  a  deep 
feeling  of  compunction  into  David's  own  heart.  This  was 
followed  by  a  frank  acknowledgment  of  his  guilt  to  God,  and 
an  earnest. appeal  for  mercy.  Then  the  prophet  Gad  ap- 
peared, offering  him,  in  God's  name,  a  choice  of  three  calam- 
ities— famine,  pestilence, or  war,  and  saying  to  him,  "Advise 
now,  and  see  what  answer  I  shall  return  to  him  that  sent  me." 
With  devout  wisdom  and  simple  trust,  David  put  himself  and 
his  people  into  Jehovah's  hand,  using  these  memorable  words, 
"  Let  us  fall  now  into  the  hand  of  the  Lord ;  for  his  mercies 
are  great :  and  let  me  not  fall  into  the  hand  of  man." 

So  the  pestilence  came — a  plague,  a  black  death,  a  chol- 
era, or  other  form  of  dreadful  epidemic.  In  the  midst  of 
its  ravages  David  set  out,  as  it  would  seem,  to  inquire  of 
the  Lord  at  the  old  Tabernacle  at  Gibeon  ;*  but  when  he  got 
as  far  as  the  summit.of  Moriah,  then  occupied  as  a  thresh- 
ing-floor by  Araunah,  or  Oman,  a  chief  among  the  Jebu- 

*  i  Chron.  xxi.,  28-30. 


FAMINE  AND  PESTILENCE.  373 

sites,  he  was  met  by  a  solemn  vision.  He  beheld  the  an- 
gel of  the  Lord  standing  between  heaven  and  earth,  having 
a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  which  was  stretched  over  Jeru- 
salem. This  at  once  arrested  his  progress,  and  he,  and  they 
who  were  with  him,  fell  upon  their  faces,  while  he  cried  out, 
in  lowly  lamentation  :  "  Is  it  not  I  that  commanded  the  peo- 
ple to  be  numbered  ?  even  I  it  is  that  have  sinned  and  done 
evil  -indeed ;  but  as  for  these  sheep,  what  have  they  done  ? 
let  thine  hand,  I  pray  thee,  O  Lord  my  God,  be  on  me,  and 
on  my  father's  house;  but  not  on  thy  people,  that  they 
should  be  plagued."  In  answer  to  this  fervent  appeal,  Gad 
was  commissioned  to  say  to  David,  "  Go  up,  rear  an  altar 
unto  the  Lord  in  the  threshing-floor  of  Araunah  the  Jebu- 
site."  In  obedience  to  this  injunction,  the  king  went  for- 
ward to  negotiate  with  the  Jebusite  for  the  purchase  of  the 
place ;  and  though  the  generous  chief  offered  to  make  it  a 
gift,  together  with  oxen  for  the  sacrifice,  and  his  threshing 
implements  for  the  fire,  David  would  not  accept  them,  say- 
ing, "  Nay ;  but  I  will  surely  buy  it  of  thee  at  a  price :  nei- 
ther will  I  offer  burnt-offerings  unto  the  Lord  my  God  of 
that  which  doth  cost  me  nothing."  So  giving  him,  accord- 
ing to  the  one  account,  fifty  shekels  of  silver,  and  according 
to  the  other,  six  hundred  shekels  of  gold,  by  weight,  he  of- 
fered burnt-offerings  and  peace-offerings,  and  the  plague  was 
stayed,  while  the  site  was  marked  off  as  the  spot  whereon  at 
length  Solomon  his  son  was  to  erect  that  stately  Temple,  the 
materials  for  the  building  of  which  he  had  been  himself  so 
long  collecting.  Very  interesting  was  this  colloquy  between 
the  two  princes.  "  It  was,"  as  Stanley  beautifully  says,  "  the 
meeting  of  two  ages.  Araunah,  as  he  yields  that  spot,  is  the 
last  of  the  Canaanites,  the  last  of  that  stern  old  race  that  we 
discern  in  any  individual  form  and  character.  David,  as  he 
raises  that  altar,  is  the  close  harbinger  of  the  reign  of  Solo- 
mon— the  founder  of  a  new  institution  which  another  was  to 


374  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

complete  ;"*  and  through  all  the  ages  of  the  world's  history 
the  place  itself  was  to  be  enshrined  as  the  most  sacred  and 
interesting  spot  on  the  surface  of  the  earth.  In  reviewing 
the  portion  of  history  now  before  our  notice,  there  are  two 
or  three  points  of  practical  and  present  importance  which 
demand  attention. 

In  the  first  place,  here  let  us  be  on  our  guard  against  na- 
tional perfidy.  Saul  and  his  people  attempted  the  destruc- 
tion or  expatriation  of  the  Gibeonites,  a  poor  tribe,  who  were 
willing  to  purchase  a  peaceful  existence  by  the  discharge  of 
the  most  menial  duties ;  and  as  the  result,  forty  years  after 
the  land  was  desolated  by  famine,  and  five  of  Saul's  descend- 
ants were  demanded  for  the  vindication  of  public  justice. 

As  I  have  been  repeating  this  history,  I  doubt  not  that 
your  minds  have  been  engaged  in  drawing  the  parallel  be- 
tween the  relation  of  Saul  to  the  Gibeonites  and  that  of  our 
own  nation  to  those  two  races  whose  condition  and  destiny 
seem  to  be  so  bound  up  with  our  own.  I  enter  not  now 
into  any  minute  analysis  of  our  dealings  with  the  African 
race  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Indian  on  the  other ;  neither 
do  I  presume  to  say  on  which  side  the  blame  has  to  be  laid ; 
but  I  do  affirm  that  this  old  record  has — especially  for  us 
now — a  lesson  of  most  solemn  warning.  Let  us  be  careful 
to  maintain  inviolate  all  treaty  obligations.  Let  us  deal  with 
these  tribes  in  a  spirit  of  honesty  and  kindness,  not  forbear- 
ing to  punish  acts  of  deliberate  treachery,  yet  eagerly  ab- 
staining from  all  wanton  cruelty.  Otherwise,  we  may  be 
sure  that  we  shall  entail  upon  ourselves  most  serious  evils. 
The  God  of  the  Gibeonites  is  the  God  of  the  Indians  and 
Africans  as  well.  Ah,  how  many  Rizpahs  did  the  war  con- 
sign to  sonless  sorrow,  as  they  mourned  over  those  who  were 
the  victims  of  wrongs  which  they  had  no  hand  in  commit- 

*  "Jewish  Church,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  135. 


FAMINE  AND  PESTILENCE.  375 

ting  !  And  is  there  not  now  one  widow  in  the  land,  mourn- 
ing over  a  husband  who  fell  the  victim  of  a  treachery  which 
the  cruelty  of  others  had  provoked  ?*  It  is  the  old,  old  story, 
and  nothing  can  prevent  its  recurrence  but  the  introduction 
of  the  new  principle  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  whose  watch- 
words are  love,  and  righteousness,  and  peace. 

In  the  second  place,  let  us  be  on  our  guard  against  na- 
tional pride.  David's  numbering  of  the  people  was  but  the 
occasion  of  the  pestilence  which  wrought  such  havoc  in 
the  land.  "An  anterior  sin,  shared  alike  by  king  and  peo- 
ple, was  the  primary  cause  of  the  plague."!  Now  it  is,  as 
we  have  said,  most  natural  to  suppose  that  this  sin  was 
pride.  As  Nebuchadnezzar  drew  down  upon  himself  a  ter- 
rible punishment  by  cherishing  the  spirit  which  found  utter- 
ance in  these  words  :  "  Is  not  this  great  Babylon  which  I 
have  built  by  the  might  of  my  power  and  for  the  honor  of 
my  majesty?"  so  the  Israelites,  as  they  looked  upon  their  ex- 
tensive territory,  and  thought  upon  their  enemies  all  thor- 
oughly subdued,  gave  way  to  vainglory,  and  forgot  to  give 
God  the  praise.  But  is  there  nothing  like  this  among  our- 
selves? We  talk  of  our  national  pre-eminence  in  wealth,  in 
liberty,  and  in  extent  of  territory.  We  speak  of  our  vessels 
sailing  over  every  ocean,  and  trafficking  in  every  harbor;  and 
while  all  this  may  be  done  in  a  spirit  of  humility  and  devout 
gratitude  to  God,  is  there  nothing  like  Nebuchadnezzar's 
vainglory  in  the  utterances  upon  this  subject  which  come  so 
roundly  from  the  lips  of  our  popular  orators,  and  which  are 
given  forth  by  our  daily  and  periodical  press  ?  In  sober 
truth,  our  greatness  is  but  the  measure  of  our  responsibility, 
and  the  perception  of  its  magnitude  ought  only  to  impel  us 
the  more  earnestly  to  pray  to  God  for  grace  to  do  the  work 

*  These  words  were  written  only  a  few  days  after  the  murder  of  Gen- 
eral Canby  by  the  Indians, 
t  Wright's  "  David,"  p.  348. 


376  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

which  the  very  greatness  of  our  privileges  has  laid  upon  us. 
What  have  we  that  we  have  not  received?  Who  hath  made 
us  to  differ  from  others?  Instead,  therefore,  of  sounding  a 
trumpet  before  us  to  proclaim  our  greatness,  let  us  seek  to 
turn  that  greatness  to  account  in  the  service  of  God,  and  the 
promotion  of  the  welfare  of  the  human  race.  Let  our 
watchword  be,  "  Not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  unto 
thy  name  give  glory,  for  thy  mercy  and  thy  truth's  sake ;" 
and  never  let  us  forget  the  prophet's  words,  "  The  lofty  looks 
of  man  shall  be  humbled,  and  the  haughtiness  of  men  shall 
be  bowed  down  ;  and  the  Lord  alone  shall  be  exalted  in  that 
day." 

We  have  here,  in  the  third  place,  an  illustration  of  the  ne- 
cessity of  an  expiation -for  sin.  The  plague  was  stayed  in 
connection  with  the  offering  of  sacrifice ;  and  as  "we  read  the 
record,  we  can  not  forget  how  the  Son  of  David  made  him- 
self a  sacrifice  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  this  same 
spot,  in  order  that  the  plague  of  sin  might  be  removed'from 
human  hearts,  and  his  believing  people  restored  to  the 
health  of  holiness.  The  voice  of  the  entire  Old  Testament 
on  this  subject  is,  "Without  shedding  of  blood  there  can  be 
no  remission ;"  and  all  its  altars  are  but  like  so  many  finger- 
posts pointing  down  through  the  ages  to  Messiah,  and  hav- 
ing on  them  this  inscription,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world  !"  It  was  not  possible  for 
the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  to  take  away  sin,  but  these 
offerings  foreshadowed  a  sacrifice  of  richer  blood  and  no- 
bler name  than  themselves,  and  now  in  Christ  we  have  the 
reality  which  they  prefigured.  They  were  offered,  year  by 
year,  continually  ;  this  needed  to  be  offered  only  once  :  they 
were  animals  inferior  to  man  ;  he  was  the  eternal,  only-be- 
gotten Son  of  God  in  human  nature ;  and  so  when  he  rose 
from  the  tomb  of  Joseph,  it  was  demonstrated  to  all  that  he 
had  finished  transgression  and  made  an  end  of  sin.  Till  he 


FAMINE  AND  PESTILENCE.  377 

appeared,  the  avenging  angel  stood  between  earth  and  heav- 
en, having  his  sword  stretched  out  over  the  human  race ; 
but  when  he  died,  that  sword  was  sheathed  forever  in  his 
own  breast.  And  as  the  lightning  conductor  saves  the  build- 
ing by  satisfying  the  electric  law,  and  drawing  the  heavenly 
fire  down  upon  itself,  he  saved  sinners  by  attracting  in  upon 
himself,  and  away  from  them,  the  penalty  of  their  transgres- 
sions. Here,  then,  in  Christ  crucified  is  the  sinner's  hope. 
"  Look  unto  him  and  be  saved ;"  for  he  is  able  to  save  unto 
the  uttermost  all  that  come  unto  God  by  him. 

Let  us  learn,  finally,  that  a  sincere  sacrifice  is  always  one 
that  costs  us  something.  David  would  not  offer  burnt-offer- 
ings of  that  which  cost  him  nothing,  and  it  would  be  well  if 
every  professed  follower  of  Jesus  acted  on  the  same  princi- 
ple. Whatever  we  lay  upon  God's  altar  should  cost  us  some- 
thing. Are  we  laboring  in  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  ?  then 
the  offering  which  we  make  to  God  in  the  pulpit  should  be 
purchased  by  study,  and  ought  not  to  be  the  rash  and  hasty 
utterance  of  unpremeditated  speech.  Are  we  teachers  in 
the  Sunday  -  school  ?  then  the  lesson  which  we  give  our 
scholars  should  be  given  at  the  cost  of  prayerful  prepara- 
tion, and  ought  not  to  be  the  empty  talk  of  those  who  have 
never  looked  at  the  subject  until  they  have  met  their  pupils 
in  the  class.  Are  we  asked  to  contribute  to  a  good  cause  ? 
then  the  gift  which  we  put  into  the  offering-box  should  be 
something  that  has  cost  us  some  effort  or  self-denial  to  ob- 
tain, and  not  simply  the  overflow  of  a  full  cup  which  we  can 
give  without  feeling  that  we  are  giving  at  all.  Are  we  asked 
to  labor  in  some  enterprise  of  benevolence  ?  then  we  are  not 
to  plead  that  we  can  not  do  so  without  breaking  in  upon  our 
ease  and  enjoyment,  but  we  are  to  take  a  part  of  these  and 
use  them  in  the  service  of  the  Lord.  Yea,  what  need  I  more  ? 
Is  not  the  Christian's  whole  life,  in  its  loftiest  view,  a  sacri- 
fice to  Christ  ?  Let  us  see,  then,  that  we  make  it  a  costly 


378  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

sacrifice.  Let  us  grudge  no  labor ;  let  us  spare  no  pains ; 
let  us  spare  no  self-denial,  if  only  we  may  keep  ourselves  un- 
spotted from  the  world,  and  make  our  lives  a  fitting  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  obligation  under  which  we  lie  to  him  "  who 
gave  himself  for  us  !"  What  purity,  what  love,  what  self-de- 
nial, what  activity  our  lives  would  manifest,  if,  looking  upon 
them  as  sacrifices  to  God,  we  should  apply  to  them  the 
words  of  David,  "  I  will  not  offer  burnt-offerings  unto  the 
Lord  my  God  of  that  which  doth  cost  me  nothing."  There 
will  not  be  wanting  those,  indeed,  to  say,  as  we  break  our 
precious  vase,  and  pour  our  costly  ointment  on  the  Saviour's 
head,  "  To  what  purpose  is  this  waste  ?"  But  only  love  can 
fully  interpret  love ;  and  he  who  made  his  greatest  sacrifice 
for  us  will  rightly  understand  and  thoroughly  appreciate  our 
offering.  There  is  nothing  wasted  that  is  expended  upon 
him.  Let  us  seek,  therefore,  to  cultivate  this  grace  of  self- 
sacrifice,  not  only  that  we  may  honor  him,  but  that  we  our- 
selves may  enter  into  the  full  meaning  of  the  precious  words, 
"It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  "Every  man, 
according  as  he  purposeth  in  his  heart,  so  let  him  give ;  not 
grudgingly,  nor  of  necessity ;  for  God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver. 
And  God  is  able  to  make  all  grace  abound  toward  you,  that 
ye  always  having  all  sufficiency  in  all  things,  may  abound  to 
every  good  work." 

"  Love  still  delights  to  bring  her  best, 
And  where  love  is,  that  offering  evermore  is  blest." 


XXI. 

EVEN-SONG. 
2  SAMUEL  xxii. 

THE  harp  of  David  was  his  constant  companion.  When 
in  his  early  days  he  followed  the  sheep  upon  the  slopes 
of  Bethlehem,  he  beguiled  the  weary  hours  with  the  music  of 
its  notes.  At  the  court  of  Saul  he  charmed  away  the  evil 
spirit  from  that  monarch's  breast  by  its  soothing  strains ; 
and  in  all  the  vicissitudes  of  his  checkered  life,  his  hand,  re- 
sponsive to  his  heart,  drew  from  his  lyre  appropriate  music, 
while  his  voice  accompanied  its  sounds  in  words  which, 
even  apart  from  the  divine  inspiration  that  pervaded  them, 
"  the  world  will  not  willingly  let  die."  In  the  cave  of  Adul- 
lam,  in  the  wilderness  of  Judah,  at  the  court  of  Achish,  and 
in  the  Valley  of  the  Jordan,  on  that  dismal  day  when  he  fled 
from  his  capital,  before  the  rebellious  Absalom,  we  have  seen 
how  he  solaced  himself  with  sacred  song;  and  in  the  deeper 
darkness  in  which  he  was  enveloped  by  his  own  shameful  sin, 
he  proved  that  the  contrite  heart,  when  swept  by  the  fingers 
of  Jehovah's  love,  gives  forth  ever  the  most  thrilling  tones. 

Nor  was  it  only  in  times  of  trial  that  the  Psalmist  struck 
his  harp.  His  joys,  as  well  as  his  sorrows,  found  utterance 
in  song ;  and  when  he  brought  up  the  ark  to  Jerusalem,  or 
returned  in  triumph  from  some  long  campaign,  he  signalized 
the  occasion  by  a  gladsome  ode  of  thanksgiving  and  praise. 
Hence  we  do  not  wonder  that,  when  he  had  been  delivered 
from  all  his  enemies,  and  was  enjoying  a  season  of  repose  in 
the  evening  twilight  of  his  life,  he  gave  expression  to  his  feel- 
ings in  the  words  of  this  Psalm.  His  "  May  of  life  had  fall- 


380  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

en  now  into  the  sere  and  yellow  leaf."  The  snows  of  sev- 
enty winters  had  fallen  on  his  head,  but  his  heart  was  as 
fresh,  his  imagination  as  brilliant  and  his  piety  as  fervent 
as  ever;  so,  as  he  looked  back  on  the  way  by  which  the 
Lord  had  led  him,  and  recounted  all  the  deliverances  which 
God  had  wrought  for  him,  he  took  his  harp  once  more,  and 
sang  to  its  loved  music  this  Psalm,  which  for  faith,  for  fervor, 
for  sublimity,  and  for  devout  thankfulness,  is  second  to  none 
of  his  productions. 

We  have  not  hitherto  gone  very  minutely  into  any  of  his 
Psalms,  and  have  contented  ourselves  with  indicating  in  a 
general  way  the  historical  occasions  on  which  some  of  them 
were  composed,  and  pointing  out  the  new  significance  which 
they  acquire  when  read  in  the  light  of  the  circumstances  out 
of  which  they  sprung ;  but  as  the  inspired  chronicler  has  in- 
corporated this  one  in  the  narrative,  and  means  us  to  regard 
it  as  David's  "even- song,"  chanted  by  him  on  the  retrospect 
of  his  life's  changeful  day,  we  may  profitably  spend  a  short 
time  in  a  survey  of  its  contents. 

With  a  considerable  number  of  minor  variations,  the  ode 
before  us  is  reproduced  as  the  eighteenth  in  the  book  of 
Psalms,  and  it  has  been  said  by  some  that  the  one  is  an  in- 
correct copy  of  the  other.  But  to  me  it  rather  seems  that  in 
the  book  of  Samuel  we  have  it  in  the  form  in  which  at  first 
the  monarch  sung  it  in  his  closet,  as  a  personal  outburst  of 
gratitude  to  God ;  while  in  the  Psalter  we  have  it  revised 
and  adapted  to  public  worship,  for  the  general  use  of  the 
tribes,  and  so,  appropriately  addressed  to  the  chief  musician. 
This  view  is  rendered  more  probable  by  the  fact  that  we 
have  other  cases  of  a  similar  sort  in  the  book  of  Psalms,  as, 
for  example,  the  i4th,  the  53d,  and  the  closing  strain  of  the 
4oth,  which  is  nearly  identical  with  the  yoth.  We  believe, 
therefore,  that  for  reasons  which  have  not  been  explained, 
David  prepared  a  twofold  form  of  this  magnificent  produc- 


EVEN-SONG.  381 

tion ;  and  so,  treating  the  two  as  separate  and  independent, 
we  content  ourselves  with  noting  the  fact  that  there  are  vari- 
ations between  them,  without  attempting  either  to  point  out, 
or  to  account  for,  each  particular  discrepancy. 

The  mention  of  Saul  in  the  title  does  not  indicate  that 
the  Psalm  was  composed  in  David's  early  life,  but  rather 
that,  even  though  thirty  years  had  gone  since  his  persecu- 
tion by  the  son  of  Kish,  the  deliverances  which  he  then  ex- 
perienced had  not  faded  from  his  memory,  but  still  stood 
out  before  him  as  the  greatest  mercies  which  he  had  ever 
received.  We  are  prone  to  forget  past  favors.  The  bene- 
factors of  our  youth  are  not  always  remembered  in  our  after- 
years  ;  and  in  the  crowd  and  conflict  of  events  in  our  later 
history,  we  have  too  often  little  thought  to  spare,  and  few 
thanks  to  express,  for  our  early  mercies.  We  do  not  enough 
consider  that,  in  mounting  the  ladder  of  life,  it  is  often  more 
difficult  to  set  our  foot  on  the  first  round  than  to  take  any 
single  step  thereafter ;  and,  therefore,  that  those  who  aided 
us  in  the  beginning  have  given  us  by  far  the  most  effectual 
assistance.  But  it  was  not  so  with  David,  for  as  he  sits  here 
looking  back  on  his  career,  his  first  conflicts  seem  still  his 
greatest ;  and  much  as  he  blessed  God  for  after-kindness, 
he  places  high  above  all  the  other  favors  which  he  had  re- 
ceived his  deliverance  out  of  the  hand  of  Saul.  Nor  may 
we  neglect  to  note  that  in  all  this  David  is  but  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  believer  in  Jesus ;  for,  no  matter  how  many 
or  how  great  the  mercies  which  he  experiences,  the  first 
grand  "crowning  mercy  "of  salvation  from  the  guilt  and  pol- 
lution of  iniquity  ever  comes  uppermost ;  and  to  every  song 
of  praise  which  he  sings  he  adds  some  such  doxology  as  that 
of  John :  "  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our 
sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests 
unto  God  and  his  Father,  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  for 
ever  and  ever.  Amen." 


382  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

The  Psalm  may  be  divided  into  five  distinct  though  une- 
qual parts.  There  is,  first,  an  introduction  extending  to  the 
end  of  the  fourth  verse,  and  giving  a  general  indication  of 
the  character  of  the  ode  ;  there  is,  second,  a  highly  figura- 
tive and  sublime  description  of  the  dangers  in  which  he  had 
been  involved,  and  the  deliverance  which  God  had  wrought 
for  him :  this  comprises  verses  5-20 ;  there  is,  third,  an  ex- 
position of  that  principle  of  the  divine  administration  in  ac- 
cordance with  which  he  had  been  delivered  :  this  is  contain- 
ed in  verses  2 1-29  ;  there  is,  fourth,  a  recapitulation  in  more 
simple  terms  of  God's  doings  on  his  behalf:  this  includes 
verses  30-49 ;  there  is,  finally,  the  closing  stanza,  in  which 
he  gathers  up  the  expression  of  his  gratitude  into  one  full 
chorus  of  praise,  and  looks  down  the  long  vista  of  ages  to 
the  far-off  days  of  the  Messiah. 

In  the  introductory  portion  of  the  ode  David  sets  forth 
what  God  had  been  to  him,  and  there  are  two  things  which 
specially  claim  attention  in  his  words.  The  first  is  the  num- 
ber and  variety  of  the  terms  which  he  employs  to  describe 
the  protection  which  God  afforded  him  ;  and  the  second  is 
the  emphatic  personal  manner  in  which  he  speaks. 

He  seems  to  have  a  difficulty  in  finding  any  one  word 
which  would  adequately  express  all  that  Jehovah  had  been 
to  him,  so  he  heaps  one  term  upon  another,  calling  him  "  a 
rock,  a  fortress,  a  deliverer,  a  shield,  a  high  tower,  a  horn,  a 
refuge,  and  a  Saviour."  This  is  no  vain  repetition,  neither  is 
it  a  straining  after  effect,  like  that  of  the  young  orator  who 
piles  epithet  upon  epithet,  weakening  only  where  he  meant 
to  strengthen ;  but  it  is  an  attempt  to  describe,  from  many 
sides,  that  which  he  felt  could  not  be  fully  shown  from  any 
single  stand-point  He  means  to  say,  that  for  every  sort  of 
peril  in  which  he  had  been  placed,  God  had  been  a  protection 
appropriate  thereto.  As  if  he  had  said,  "  those  whom  God 
intends  to  succor  and  defend  are  not  only  safe  against  one 


EVEN-SONG.  383 

kind  of  dangers,  but  are,  as  it  were,  surrounded  by  impreg- 
nable ramparts  on  all  sides ;  so  that,  should  a  thousand 
deaths  be  presented  to  their  view,  they  ought  not  to  be  afraid 
even  at  this  formidable  array."  Nor  is  this  many-sided  de- 
scription of  God's  protection  without  its  value  to  us ;  for 
though  we  may  have  proved  his  power  to  help  us  in  one  way, 
we  are  apt  to  fall  into  despair  when  some  new  danger  threat- 
ens us ;  and  therefore  it  is  re-assuring  to  have  David's  testi- 
mony to  the  fact,  that  those  whom  God  shields  are  incased 
all  round,  and  will  have  perfect  protection  in  every  emergen- 
cy. But  numerous  as  are  the  figures  under  which  God's  help 
is  here  brought  before  us,  each  of  them  is  preceded  by  the 
emphatic  appropriating  "my."*  It  is  remarkable  that  when 
the  soul  is  either  very  deeply  sunk  in  sorrow,  or  very  high- 
ly elevated  in  joy,  its  language  is  thoroughly  personal.  All 
vague  generalities  and  commonplace  phraseology  are  swept 
away,  and  the  heart  speaks  for  itself.  It  will  allow  no  stran- 
ger to  intermeddle  either  with  its  gladness  or  its  grief;  but 
it  becomes  intensely  personal,  and  deals  only  in  the  singular 
number.  The  hymn  of  Hannah  and  the  magnificat  of  Mary 
are  illustrations  in  point;  and  in  the  epistles  of  Paul,  although 
the  apostle  often  uses  the  plural  number  in  the  course  of  his 
argument,  yet  when  he  ascends  to  the  higher  region  of  expe- 
rience, he  drops  the  we  and  the  our,  and  it  is  then,  "  I  thank 
God,  through  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord ;  I  live  ;  yet  not  I,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me."  Nowhere,  however,  does  this  personali- 

*  In  my  early  boyhood,  after  having  heard  a  sermon  in  which  the 
preacher  dwelt  much  on  "  the  appropriating  act  of  faith,"  I  asked  my 
father  what  he  meant  by  that  expression.  He  gave  me  the  same  reply 
which  had  been  given  him  by  his  mother  to  the  same  inquiry,  when  he 
was  a  lad,  viz.,  "Take  your  Bible,  and  underscore  all  the  'mys,'  the 
'  mines,'  and  the  '  mes '  you  come  upon,  and  you  will  soon  discover  what 
appropriation  is."  It  is  the  focusing  of  all  that  God  is  upon  yourself,  even 
as  the  lens  concentrates  the  sun's  rays  upon  one  bright,  burning  spot. 


384  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ty  of  earnestness  more  frequently  appear  than  in  the  Psalms 
of  David  j  and  in  the  firm  appropriation  which  he  here  makes 
of  God  to  himself  we  see  how  necessary  to  spiritual  hap- 
piness it  is  that  we  should  be  able  to  call  God  our  own.  A 
fortress  is  threatening  and  terrible  to  all  who  are  outside  of  it; 
but  it  is,  just  because  of  that,  only  the  more  safe  to  those  who 
are  within  it ;  and  only  when  we  believingly  appropriate  God 
as  our  own  do  we  enter  into  the  divine  fortress  and  enjoy  his 
protection.  So  long  as  we  are  unreconciled  to  him,  his  glo- 
rious attributes,  his  infinite  resources,  his  boundless  might 
appear  arrayed  against  us  ;  but  when,  through  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ,  we  enter  into  covenant  with  him,  all  these  are  on  our 
side,  and  we  are  enabled  to  sing,  "  Behold  God  is  my  salva- 
tion." Mark,  is  our  salvation  ;  that  is  a  higher  thing  than 
to  say  God  works  out  our  salvation.  He  stands  between  us 
and  every  evil ;  and  because  we  are  Christ's,  and  Christ  is 
his,  we  can  say  with  truth  that  all  things,  however  frowning 
they  may  look,  are  ours.  My  hearer,  have  you  said  unto  the 
Lord,  thou  art  my  God  ?  Is  he  thy  salvation  ?  Remember 
that  he  is  not  and  can  not  be  the  salvation  of  any  one  until 
the  soul  of  the  individual  believingly  appropriates  him.  Take 
him  thus  to  thy  heart ;  give  him  thus  thy  hand,  and  thou  art 
safe  forever. 

In  the  second  portion  of  the  Psalm,  extending  from  the 
fifth  to  the  twentieth  verse,  the  inspired  poet  describes  his 
perils  and  his  deliverances,  depicting  "by  the  sublimest  ex- 
pressions and  loftiest  terms  the  majesty  of  God,  and  the 
awful  manner  in  which  he  came  to  his  assistance,  saved  him 
from  his  enemies,  and  extricated  him  from  all  his  difficulties, 
namely,  by  arming,  as  it  were,  the  elements  of  heaven  against 
them,  and  sending  a  dreadful  storm  of  thunder,  lightning, 
hail,  rain,  and  tempestuous  wind  to  discomfit  and  destroy 
them.  In  this  description  there  is  every  circumstance  of 
horror  that  can  be  mentioned ;  the  sentiments  and  images 


EVEN-SONG.  385 

are  grand  beyond  description,  the  words  lofty  and  express- 
ive, and  God  is  introduced  in  a  manner  worthy  of  his  maj- 
esty, encompassed  with  all  the  powers  of  nature  as  his  at- 
tendants, and  as  the  instruments  of  his  vengeance  to  execute 
his  purposes  in  the  salvation  of  David  and  the  destruction 
of  his  enemies."*  He  speaks  of  his  sufferings  in  this  wise  : 
"  The  waves  of  death  compassed  me,  the  floods  of  ungodly 
men  made  me  afraid.  The  sorrows  of  Hades  compassed  me 
about,  the  snares  of  death  were  laid  for  me  in  anticipation." 
And  when  we  remember  his  hair- breadth  escape  from  the 
javelin  of  Saul,  and  the  many  occasions  in  which  he  was  im- 
periled by  the  machinations  of  his  enemies,  we  may  not  say 
that  he  exaggerates ;  but  through  them  all  his  solace  was  in 
prayer.  "  In  my  distress  I  called  upon  the  Lord,  and  cried 
unto  my  God  :  he  heard  my  voice  out  of  his  temple,  and  my 
cry  came  before  him,  even  into  his  ears."  The  good  man's 
refuge  is  ever  at  the  mercy-seat.  Though  every  way  seem 
shut  against  him,  the  way  to  God  is  always  open,  and  when 
he  can  get  near  to  Jehovah  he  is  safe ;  for  then  he  links  him- 
self to  omnipotence,  and  God's  faithfulness  is  pledged  to  give 
him  succor.  Very  deeply  was  this  felt  by  David  in  all  his  ca- 
lamities, and  he  did  not  cry  to  God  in  vain ;  for  he  sent  him 
deliverance  in  such  signal  ways  that  it  was  made  perfectly 
evident  that  his  salvation  was  of  the  Lord.  The  delineation 
of  his  deliverance  here  is  in  a  strain  of  the  most  highly- 
wrought  imagery,  borrowed  from  the  description  of  Jehovah's 
descent  on  Sinai ;  and  such  is  the  inherent  sublimity  of  his 
words,  that  even  the  most  meagre  translations  of  them  catch 
somewhat  of  their  grandeur.  The  old  version  of  Sternhold 
and  Hopkins  ceases  to  be  doggerel,  and  becomes  classic 
here ;  and  as  we  read  the  lines, 

*  "  A  Critical  History  of  the  Life  of  David,"  by  S.  Chandler,  D.D., 
p.  366. 

17 


386  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

"  On  cherub  and  on  cherubim 

Full  royally  he  rode, 
And  on  the  wings  of  mighty  winds 
Came  flying  all  abroad," 

we  have  before  us  a  conception  the  most  sublime  that  ever 
entered  into  human  imagination.*  We  must  remember, 
however,  that  all  this  is  poetic,  and  not  historic.  David 
does  not  mean  to  say  that  these  portents  actually  accom- 
panied God's  descent  to  his  assistance.  The  simple  truth 
is,  that  no  miracles  were  wrought  on  David's  account,  but 
still  his  deliverance  was  as  much  God's  doing  as  if  he  had 
come  down  with  all  the  glory  of  Sinai  in  his  defense ;  and 
the  discomfiture  of  his  enemies  was  as  complete  as  if  Jeho- 
vah of  hosts  had  marshaled  the  armies  which  marched  forth 
to  meet  them  ;  so  that,  as  the  result  of  all,  he  makes  this 
acknowledgment, "  He  brought  me  forth  into  a  large  place ; 
he  delivered  me,  because  he  delighted  in  me." 

This  last  phrase,  "  He  delighted  in  me,"  fitly  introduces 
the  next  division  of  the  Psalm,  which  sets  forth  the  harmo- 
ny of  David's  deliverance  with  the  general  principle  of  the 
divine  administration.  There  is  a  retributive  element  in 
God's  moral  government.  The  Saviour  himself  has  said, 
"With  what  measure  ye  mete  it  shall  be  measured  to  you 
again  ;"  and  David  here  asserts  that  God  deals  with  men  ac- 
cording to  the  principles  on  which  men  themselves  act  to- 
ward each  other.  To  the  merciful,  God  is  merciful ;  to  the 
upright,  he  is  upright ;  to  the  pure,  he  is  pure ;  and  to  the 
froward,  he  is  froward.  This  last  term,  indeed,  must  not  be 
held  as  denoting  that  God  is  ever  in  himself  froward,  but 
that  in  his  providential  government  of  men,  the  individual 
who  is  froward  is  met  with  the  frowardness  of  another ;  or 

*  See  an  interesting  paper  on  this  verse,  and  the  imitations  of  it  by 
modern  poets,  in  Henry  Kirke  White's  "Remains,"  p.  294. 


EVEN-SONG.  387 

if  this  be  not  strong  enough  as  an  interpretation,  we  must 
hold  the  words  as  equivalent  to  the  declaration  made  else- 
where, that  "  he  taketh  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness,  and 
that  he  causes  men  to  fall  themselves  into  the  pit  which  they 
have  digged  for  others."  The  general  principle  is  this,  that 
God  is  on  the  side  of  right,  and  that  if  men  conscientiously 
adhere  to  that  which  they  know  to  be  their  duty,  he  will,  in 
the  long  run,  "bring  forth  their  righteousness  as  the  light, 
and  their  judgment  as  the  noonday."  Now,  in  the  main 
David  did  this,  so  far,  at  least,  as  his  public  administration 
and  public  enemies  were  concerned.  I  speak  not  now  of 
his  character  before  God ;  for  so  viewed,  he  was  far  from 
perfect;  but  as  he  stood  related  to  his  subjects  and  his 
enemies,  he  was  distinguished  by  integrity  and  uprightness. 
He  was  not  dishonestly  seeking  his  own  ends.  He  was 
only  following  God's  leadings,  and  the  men  who  were  op- 
posed to  him  were  his  enemies,  just  because  he  was  so  con- 
spicuously the  servant  and  the  friend  of  God.  The  words 
of  Mr.  Spurgeon  here  are  well  worthy  of  quotation :  "Al- 
beit the  dispensations  of  divine  grace  are  to  the  fullest  de- 
gree sovereign  and  irrespective  of  human  merit,  yet  in  the 
dealings  of  Providence  there  is  often  discernible  a  rule  of 
justice  by  which  the  injured  are  avenged  and  the  righteous 
ultimately  triumph.  David's  early  troubles  arose  from  the 
wicked  malice  of  envious  Saul,  who,  no  doubt,  prosecuted 
his  persecutions  under  cover  of  charges  brought  against  the 
character  of  the  man  after  God's  own  heart.  These  charges 
David  declares  to  have  been  utterly  false,  and  asserts  that 
he  possessed  a  grace-given  righteousness  which  the  Lord 
had  graciously  rewarded  in  defiance  of  all  his  calumniators. 
Before  God,  the  man  after  God's  own  heart  was  a  humble 
sinner;  but  before  his  slanderers  he  could,  with  unblushing 
face,  speak  of  the  cleanness  of  his  hands  and  the  righteous- 
ness of  his  life.  He  knows  little  of  the  sanctifying  power  of 


388  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

divine  grace  who  is  not,  at  the  bar  of  human  equity,  able  to 
plead  innocence.  There  is  no  self-righteousness  in  an  hon- 
est man  knowing  that  he  is  honest,  nor  even  in  his  believing 
that  God  rewarded  him  in  Providence  because  of  his  hones- 
ty, for  such  is  often  a  most  evident  matter  of  fact.  It  is  not 
at  all  an  opposition  to  the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  grace,  and 
no  sort  of  evidence  of  a  Pharisaic  spirit,  when  a  gracious  man, 
having  been  slandered,  stoutly  maintains  his  own  integrity 
and  vigorously  defends  his  character.  A  godly  man  has  a 
clear  conscience,  and  knows  himself  to  be  upright.  Is  he 
to  deny  his  own  consciousness,  and  to  despise  the  work  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  by  hypocritically  making  himself  worse  than 
he  is  ?  A  godly  man  prizes  his  integrity  very  highly,  or  else 
he  could  not  be  a  godly  man  at  all ;  and  is  he  to  be  called 
proud  because  he  will  not  readily  lose  the  jewel  of  a  reputa- 
ble character  ?  A  godly  man  can  see  that  in  divine  Provi- 
dence uprightness  and  truth  are,  in  the  long  run,  sure  to 
bring  their  own  reward ;  may  he  not,  when  he  sees  that  re- 
ward bestowed  in  his  own  case,  praise  the  Lord  for  it  ?  Yea, 
rather,  must  he  not  show  forth  the  faithfulness  and  goodness 
of  his  God  ?  This  cluster  of  expressions,  therefore,  must  be 
read  as  the  song  of  a  good  conscience  after  having  safely 
outridden  a  storm  of  obloquy,  persecution,  and  abuse  ;  and 
then  there  will  be  no  fear  of  our  upbraiding  the  writer  as  one 
who  sets  too  high  a  price  upon  his  own  moral  character."* 
The  principle  underlying  this  section  of  the  Psalm  is  the 
same  as  that  which  has  been  expanded  into  the  37th  and 
73d  odes  in  our  Psalter,  and  must  never  be  lost  sight  of  by 
any  of  us.  It  is  "  unto  the  upright "  that  "  light  ariseth  into 
darkness,"  and  it  is  he  whose  heart  is  established,  and  who 
shall  not  be  afraid  until  he  shall  see  his  desire  upon  his 
enemies.  Or,  more  simply  still,  even  in  the  present  life 

*  Spurgeon's  "  Treasury  of  David,"  vol.  i.,  pp.  272, 273. 


EVEN-SONG.  389 

there  is  a  retributive  element  in  God's  moral  government, 
and  men  shall  be  done  by  as  they  do. 

From  the  thirtieth  verse  on  till  the  close  of  the  forty-ninth 
we  have  a  virtual  recapitulation,  only  in  simpler  phrase  and 
in  more  detail,  of  the  deliverances  which  David  had  experi- 
enced ;  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  all  through  this  section 
of  the  ode — indeed,  I  may  say,  throughout  the  entire  Psalm 
—  the  writer's  recognition  of  God's  hand  in  every  thing. 
There  had  been  many  human  agents  employed  in  working  for 
him,  but  here  he  makes  mention  of  God  alone.  In  the  suc- 
ceeding chapter  the  historian  gives  us  a  list  of  David's  thirty- 
seven  mighty  men,  and  recounts  some  of  their  most  valiant 
deeds ;  and,  as  the  honors  which  their  monarch  conferred 
upon  them  conclusively  show,  he  was  not  ungrateful  to  them 
for  their  fidelity,  but  his  highest  praise,  and  his  devoutest 
thanks  went  to  the  God  who  wrought  in  and  through  them 
for  his  anointed's  sake.  Herein  the  Psalmist  has  left  us  an 
example  worthy  of  our  imitation.  We  see  the  visible  instru- 
ment, but  we  forget  all  too  often  the  invisible  Author  of  all 
our  mercies ;  and  in  these  days  especially,  when  men  make 
so  much  of  physical  laws,  we  are  apt  to  hide  God  behind  the 
operations  which  he  is  himself  carrying  on  ;  and  while  ad- 
miring the  harmony  and  order  of  the  universe,  we  have  no 
song  of  praise  to  Him  who  upholds  it  all.  Let  us  be  on  our 
guard  against  all  this.  It  might  perhaps  be  too  much  to  say, 
with  Wordsworth,  that  one  would  "  rather  be  a  pagan,  suckled 
in  a  creed  outworn,"  than  one  of  those  who  believe  that  the 
world  is  governed  by  laws  without  a  lawgiver.  But  to  me 
there  is  no  atheism  more  revolting  than  that  of  the  man,  be 
he  philosopher  or  not,  who  takes  all  his  mercies  as  things  of 
course,  ground  out  to  him  daily  by  the  mill  of  ceaseless  law, 
and  who  has  no  song  of  gratitude  to  sing  to  Him  "  of  whom, 
and  to  whom,  and  through  whom  are  all  things." 

But  while  in  these  verses  we  have  this  recognition  of  God 


390  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

in  all  things  everywhere  apparent,  there  are  specially  three 
attributes  of  God  himself  which  are  prominently  mentioned 
in  them.  The  first  is  his  faithfulness,  as  set  forth  in  the  ex- 
pression, "  The  word  of  the  Lord  is  tried."  The  term  "  tried  " 
denotes  generally  "  put  to  the  test ;"  but  here  it  has  involved 
in  it  the  additional  idea  that  the  trial  has  been  satisfactorily 
passed.  Before  they  are  considered  fit  for  actual  service  on 
shipboard,  anchors,  chains,  and  cables  are  subjected  to  such 
a  strain  as  shall  give  those  who  employ  them  confidence  to 
use  them  in  any  emergency ;  and  when  some  great  engineer- 
ing work  is  finished,  a  railway  viaduct,  for  example,  it  is  test- 
ed by  some  rigid  trial  before  it  is  opened  for  public  traffic. 
Now,  David's  life  had  been,  in  some  sense,  such  a  trial  of  the 
Word  of  God.  By  his  struggles,  his  sorrows,  his  emergencies, 
yea,  even  by  his  sins,  he  had  been,  as  it  were,  put  forth  to 
show  how  great  a  strain  the  promises  of  God  could  bear ; 
and  so  at  the  close  of  his  career  he  says :  "  The  Word  of  the 
Lord  is  tried.  It  has  stood  firm  with  me  in  all  my  conflicts 
and  calamities,  and  despite  all  my  sins ;  therefore  let  no  one 
despair.  That  which  has  been  so  solid  beneath  the  weight 
even  of  my  sinful  tread,  will  support  any  one  who  trustfully 
ventures  on  it  for  himself."  Thus  interpreted,  these  words 
of  David  are  an  exact  parallel  to  the  testimony  of  Paul,  when 
he  says  :*  "  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  ac- 
ceptation, that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sin- 
ners ;  of  whom  I  am  chief"  (or  first).  "  Howbeit  for  this  cause 
I  obtained  mercy,  that  in  me  first"  (that  is,  first  not  in  the  or- 
der of  time,  but  first  in  the  degree  of  guilt — a  sinner  of  the 
first  rank — an  Ai  sinner)  "Jesus  Christ  might  show  forth  all 
long-suffering,  for  a  pattern  to  them,  which  should  hereafter 
believe  on  him  to  life  everlasting."  What  an  encouragement, 
therefore,  is  there  here  to  every  one  to  rest  in  faith  upon  the 

*  i  Timothy  i.,  15, 16. 


EVEN-SONG.  391 

promise  of  Jehovah  !  No  matter  though  we  may  have  been 
sinners  of  as  deep  a  dye  as  Paul — murderers,  blasphemers, 
persecutors ;  no  matter  though  we  may  have  been  back- 
sliders of  as  dark  a  character  as  David — adulterers,  liars, 
murderers,  yet  if  even  "  from  thence  we  seek  the  Lord,  we 
shall  find  him,  if  we  seek  him  with  all  our  hearts."  He  who 
received  them  will  not  spurn  us  away  from  him.  The  prom- 
ise which  upheld  them  will  support  us.  The  welcome  which 
was  given  to  them  will  not  be  withheld  from  us,  for  is  it  not 
written, "  Him  that  cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast 
out?"  This  Word  has  been  tried  and  proved  in  different 
ages  of  the  Church,  now  by  an  Augustine,  and  now  by  a  Lu- 
ther ;  now  by  a  Bunyan,  and  now  by  a  Newton  ;  but  never, 
perhaps,  was  it  put  to  so  great  a  strain  as  when  the  male- 
factor on  the  cross  cried  at  the  very  warning  of  the  twelfth 
hour  to  Jesus, "  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  into 
thy  kingdom  !"  Let  the  answer  which  then  came, "  To-day 
shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  paradise,"  encourage  thee,  oh  sin- 
ner, to  put  it  to  the  proof  now  for  thyself,  and  thou  shalt  be 
another  trophy  of  the  Redeemer's  power  to  save,  another 
witness  bearer  to  the  faithfulness  of  God  in  the  keeping  of 
his  gracious  promise. 

The  second  quality  of  the  divine  character  to  which  spe- 
cial prominence  is  given  in  these  verses  is  the  gentleness  of 
God.  It  comes  out  in  these  words  :  "  Thy  gentleness  hath 
made  me  great."  This  expression  is  to  me  the  gem  of  the 
Psalm.  I  am  never  weary  of  recurring  to  it.  As  in  looking 
on  a  spacious  landscape,  every  feature  of  which  is  beautiful, 
the  eye  finds  itself  at  length  resting  with  supreme  satisfac- 
tion on  some  one  object  of  surpassing  loveliness  within  it ; 
or,  as  in  listening  to  a  piece  of  music,  all  of  which  is  inspir- 
iting, the  ear  catches  up  some  specially  bewitching  strain, 
which  we  keep  humming  over  to  ourselves  in  all  our  inter- 
vals of  labor ;  so,  after  we  have  read  this  whole  Psalm,  we 


392  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

come  back  again  and  again  to  this  delightful  phrase.  It 
falls  upon  the  ear  as  if  with  the  soft  breathings  of  an  asolian 
harp,  and  amidst  the  jewels  which  shine  out  of  this  Book  of 
Truth,  there  is  not  one  that  sparkles  with  a  radiance  so  di- 
vine as  this,  "  Thy  gentleness  hath  made  me  great !"  It  is 
indeed  the  very  heart  and  centre  of  the  cross  of  Christ.  Da- 
vid felt  that  God's  kindness  to  him,  in  his  weakness,  his  way- 
wardness, his  very  wantonness  of  sin,  had  lifted  him  up  to 
the  external  greatness  of  his  throne,  and  had  built  up  in  him 
the  internal  greatness  of  his  character. 

But  what  did  he  know  of  this  quality  of  Jehovah's  heart, 
compared  with  that  of  it  which  has  been  revealed  to  us  in 
the  work  of  Christ,  and  in  our  calling  into  and  training  in 
the  Christian  life  ?  While  we  lay  helplessly  condemned  be- 
neath the  sentence  of  his  law,  God  came  to  us,  not  with 
Sinai's  terror,  but  with  tender  love.  "  He  that  might  the 
vantage  best  have  took,  found  out  the  remedy."  And  while 
his  sternness  might  have  driven  us  from  him,  or  moved  us 
to  strive  against  him,  we  have  willingly  yielded  to  the  attrac- 
tion of  his  gentleness.  Go  read  the  record  of  the  Saviour's 
dealings  with  the  woman  at  the  well,  with  the  woman  that 
was  a  sinner,  with  the  self-satisfied  Nicodemus,  and  with  the 
publican  Zaccheus,  and  see  how  much  his  gentleness  did  in 
making  them  truly  great.  Nay,  look  back  on  your  own  ex- 
perience, and  bear  witness  to  those  around  you,  how  his  love 
"drew  you,  and  you  followed  on,"  willingly  surrendering 
yourselves  to  its  divine  attraction.  Nor  is  this  all.  Even 
when  we  have  been  suffering  under  his  hand,  or  have  been 
wandering  from  his  way,  how  much  of  gentleness  has  he  man- 
ifested in  our  very  chastisement.  He  has  "  stayed  his  rough 
wind,  in  the  day  of  his  east  wind  ;"  and  if,  like  the  eagle  with 
her  young,  he  has  "  stirred  our  nest "  and  pushed  us  out  of 
it,  we  have  scarcely  remembered  the  roughness  of  that  disci- 
pline, when  we  have  found  ourselves  upborne  on  the  ample 


EVEN-SONG.  393 

wings  of  his  grace,  to  loftier  attainments  in  holiness  than  oth- 
erwise we  could  have  reached.  All  along  the  pathways  by 
which  he  has  led  us,  we  have  met  manifestations  of  his  gen- 
tleness :  it  has  been  the  background  of  our  very  trials,  and 
as  the  mother  soothes  her  broken-hearted  and  dispirited 
child  by  the  loving  ministrations  of  her  tender  hand,  until  he 
has  forgotten  his  sorrow  in  the  sunshine  of  her  affection, 
so  God  has  been  with  us,  "  gentle  as  a  nurse  cherishing  her 
children."  He  has  borne  with  us  as  none  other  could  have 
done  ;  and  by  that  "  method  of  indirectness  "  which  the  moth- 
er knows  so  well  how  to  practice  with  her  wayward  boy,  he 
has  led  us  by  a  way  which  we  knew  not,  and  kept  us  attached 
— not  by  any  outward  bond,  but  by  the  inner  tie  of  endear- 
ing affection — to  himself.  I  have  heard  one  tell,  with  ring- 
ing laughter,  how  once  in  a  storm  at  sea,  when  danger  was 
anticipated,  a  great  overgrown  man,  not  used  to  prayer,  and 
remembering  only  the  hymn  of  his  childhood,  flung  himself 
upon  his  knees,  and  cried, 

"  Gentle  Jesus,  meek  and  mild, 
Look  upon  a  little  child  !" 

But,  after  all,  are  we  not  all,  even  the  oldest  among  us, 
children  still,  and  is  not  this  still  the  most  endearing  epithet 
of  Jesus  to  every  one  of  us — "gentle  Jesus."  I  beseech  you, 
therefore,  brethren,  by  the  gentleness  of  Christ,  that  ye  pre- 
sent yourselves  now  unto  him,  and  so  receive  from  him  the 
greatness  of  present  holiness  and  future  immortality.  Every 
day  we  live  we  are  receiving  new  proofs  of  his  tender  love 
to  us ;  but  when  we  have  passed  through  the  veil,  and  stand 
in  heaven's  own  light,  looking  back  upon  all  the  ways  in 
which  our  God  has  dealt  with  us,  we  shall  understand  this 
phrase  more  fully  than  we  ever  can  on  earth ;  and  as  we 
cast  our  crowns  before  the  throne,  our  adoring  homage  to 
him  who  sits  thereon  will  find  its  appropriate  expression 

17* 


394  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

in  these  blessed  words  :   "  Thy  gentleness  hath  made  me 
great !" 

The  third  divine  attribute  to  which  prominence  is  here 
given  is  the  eternity  of  God.  It  comes  out  in  these  words : 
"  The  Lord  liveth,  and  blessed  be  my  rock ;  and  let  the  God 
of  my  salvation  be  exalted."  A  certain  sense  of  solitariness 
grows"  upon  a  man  as  he  becomes  older.  Those  who  were 
venerable  in  his  youthful  days,  and  to  whom  he  looked  for 
counsel,  are  one  by  one  carried  to  the  tomb.  The  compan- 
ions of  his  early  manhood  fall  at  his  side.  He  comes  at 
length  to  a  time  when  he  does  not  care  to  make  many  new 
friends ;  and  when  he  reaches  the  limit  of  three-score  years 
-and  ten,  he  begins  to  feel  himself  almost  a  stranger,  even  in 
the  place  where  he  has  spent  his  life.  Perhaps  a  king,  more 
than  most  other  men,  will  realize  this  experience.  The  poet 
has  spoken  of  "the  lonely  glory  of  a  throne."  The  monarch 
has  no  equals,  and,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  can  have  few 
confidants  and  counselors,  except  such  as  are  venerable  for 
age.  But  as  his  reign  wears  on,  one  after  another  of  these 
early  friends  are  taken  away ;  and  as  each  is  removed,  he  is 
apt  to  think  that  a  part  of  himself  has  been  withdrawn  from 
him.  Thus  loneliness  steals  over  him,  and  he  comes  at  length 
to  be,  like  Moses  among  the  tribes,  the  solitary  survivor  of 
a  buried  generation.  Something  like  this,  I  doubt  not,  was 
felt  by  David  as  he  advanced  into  old  age.  Samuel  was 
gone;  Jonathan  was  no  more;  Ahithophel  had  proved  a 
traitor ;  Joab  had  become  a  thorn  in  his  side ;  but  there  was 
One  always  true,  and  it  was  with  no  ordinary  emotion,  we 
may  be  sure,  that  out  of  his  earthly  solitude  he  sang  of  his 
fidelity  and  deathlessness  :  "  The  Lord  liveth,  and  blessed 
be  my  rock,  and  exalted  be  the  God  of  my  salvation."  Let 
the  aged  among  us  fall  back  on  this  assurance,  and  find 
their  solace  in  the  companionship  of  the  Most  High.  He 
hath  said, "  I  will  never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee." 


.  EVEN-SONG.  395 

The  last  strain  of  this  remarkable  Psalm  gathers  into  one 
inference  of  gratitude  all  the  argument  of  the  ode :  "  There- 
fore I  will  give  thanks  unto  thee,  O  Lord  ;"  and  looking  for- 
ward to  the  permanence  of  his  song,  and  its  acceptance  by 
the  Gentiles  as  a  portion  of  their  daily  psalmody,  he  adds, 
"among  the  Gentiles."  Then,  calling  to  mind  Nathan's 
prediction  of  the  eternity  of  his  kingdom,  he  concludes  with 
these  words :  "  He  is  the  tower  of  salvation  for  his  king : 
and  sheweth  mercy  unto  his  anointed,  unto  David  and  to 
his  seed  for  evermore."  Thus,  rising  out  of  David's  per- 
sonal history,  this  ode,  like  many  others,  ascends  at  length 
to  David's  Lord,  of  whom,  in  the  "perspective  of  proph- 
ecy," the  singer  caught  a  glimpse  ere  yet  he  laid  aside  his 
harp. 

I  have  taken  merely  the  most  cursory  glance  at  the  struc- 
ture of  this  sublime  poem.  Let  me  commend  it  to  your  care- 
ful study  in  the  retirement  of  the  closet,  and  meanwhile  let 
me  suggest  two  practical  lessons  from  this  whole  subject. 

Let  us  learn,  then,  to  thank  God  for  our  mercies  and  de- 
liverances. When  the  crisis  of  some  great  agony  is  on  us, 
there  are  no  words  which  leap  so  readily  to  our  lips  as  these  : 
"  God  help  me !"  At  such  times  we  feel  shut  up  to  go  to 
God,  and  we  engage  our  friends  to  pray  to  him  on  our 
behalf.  But  when  the  danger  is  past  and  the  suffering  is 
gone,  how  seldom  we  think  of  Him  on  whom,  while  they 
lasted,  we  called  so  passionately  for  relief.  Of  the  ten 
lepers  whom  Jesus  cleansed,  only  one  returned  to  give  him 
thanks. 

We  despise  the  conduct  of  the  French  infidel  who,  while 
the  storm  was  threatening  to  submerge  the  vessel  in  which 
he  sailed,  was  on  his  knees  in  trembling  prayer ;  but  when 
the  gale  was  over,  ridiculed  his  own  fear  as  cowardice,  and 
laughed  at  his  own  prayer  as  superstition.  But  are  we  so 
much  better  ourselves  ?  Where  is  our  thanksgiving  for  God's 


396  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

free  mercy,  which,  in  answer  to  our  prayers,  he  has  so  fre- 
quently shown  us  ?  In  the  time  of  pestilence  the  churches 
will  be  crowded  with  eager  suppliants  that  the  plague  may  be 
removed ;  but  when  the  disease  has  gone,  you  will  have  only 
the  merest  handful  to  hold  a  day  of  thanksgiving.  It  is  not 
always  thus,  indeed  ;  "and  when  true  gratitude  is  manifested 
it  moves  us  intensely,  even  from  its  very  rarity.  One  case 
of  this  description,  at  the  close  of  the  cotton  famine  in  Lan- 
cashire, England,  stirred  the  whole  British  nation  to  its 
depths.  It  was  in  the  town  of  Staleybridge,  which  for  many 
months  had  been  suffering  the  deepest  distress.  All  those 
weary  weeks  its  factories  had  been  silent,  and  its  tall  chim- 
neys smokeless ;  and  its  operatives,  all  their  savings  gone, 
were  reduced  to  a  want  which  they  bore  with  the  most  heroic 
endurance.  At  length  the  war  was  ended,  and  a  consign- 
ment of  cotton  came  to  the  town.  Hastening  to  the  railway 
depot,  the  men  unyoked  the  horses  from  the  first  wagon, 
and  drew  it  themselves  into  the  court-yard  of  one  of  the  fac- 
tories. Soon  an  immense  crowd  surrounded  it,  and  the  tears 
filled  the  eyes  of  the  multitude  as  they  gazed  upon  it,  for  it 
meant  employment,  and  employment  meant  bread.  Just 
then,  while  all  were  deeply  moved,  one  solitary  voice  began 
to  sing  the  grand  old  doxology,  "  Praise  God,  from  whom  all 
blessings  flow,"  and  in  a  moment  every  one  in  the  vast  as- 
semblage joined  in,  while  on  the  gaunt  and  famine-stricken 
cheeks  of  faces  upturned  to  heaven  the  big  tears  kept  cours- 
ing down.  Often  has  that  simple  strain  been  sung  in  most 
inspiring  circumstances,  but  never  with  more  depth  of  feel- 
ing or  more  fervor  of  gratitude  than  on  that  occasion.  But 
why  should  our  gratitude  be  confined  to  rare  seasons  ?  The 
true  thanksgiving  is  thanksliving.  The  noblest  doxology  is 
a  holy  life.  Let  us  aim,  my  brethren,  to  translate  into  con- 
duct the  words  of  this  sublime  Psalm  ;  let  us  make  each  his 
own  life  a  hymn  of  praise,  according  to  the  poet's  advice  : 


EVEN-SONG.  397 

"  Be  good,  my  child,  and  let  who  will  be  clever — 
Do  noble  deeds,  not  dream  them  all  day  long ; 
And  so  make  life,  death,  and  that  vast  forever 
One  grand  deep  song."* 

Finally,  let  us  learn  from  the  experience  of  God's  goodness 
in  the  past,  and  trust  to  him  for  the  present  and  the  future. 
"  The  Lord's  aye  to  the  fore,"  said  a  good  Scotchwoman  in 
her  day  of  trial ;  and  by  this  faith  she  was  upheld.  "The  best 
of  all  is,  God  is  with  us,"  said  John  Wesley,  as  he  was  dy- 
ing •  and  by  this  trust  he  was  supported  as  he  passed  within 
the  veil.  David  had  many  experiences  of  God's  faithfulness, 
and  so  he  could  go  calmly  forward,  saying,  "God  lives,  bless- 
ed be  my  rock  ;  and  let  the  God  of  my  salvation  be  exalted." 
Let  us  follow  his  example,  and  "remember  the  days  of  old." 
The  Lord  is  now  just  what  he  was  when  he  delivered  us  in 
the  past.  He  loves  us  as  tenderly  as  he  did  then.  He  is  as 
near  us  as  he  was  then.  And  he  will  deliver  us  once  more. 
Oliver  Heywood,  one  of  the  English  Puritan  ministers  who 
was  ejected  in  1662  by  the  odious  Act  of  Uniformity,  has 
related  a  touching  anecdote  which  may  impress  the  lesson 
on  which  I  now  insist  more  forcibly  than  any  words  of  mine. 
He  tells  of  a  mother  who,  when  one  child  was  taken  from 
her,  calmly  bowed  to  the  trial,  and  said,  "  God  lives,  blessed 
be  my  rock ;  and  let  the  God  of  my  salvation  be  exalted." 
Another  child  was  removed  by  death,  and  still  she  sang  as 
before,  "  God  lives."  But  at  length  her  beloved  husband  was 
stricken  down,  and  she  seemed  to  sink  into  the  very  depths 
of  despair.  As  she  sat  wringing  her  hands  in  anguish,  a  lit- 
tle child,  whom  God  had  spared  to  her,  came  to  her  knee 
and  said,  "  Mother,  is  God  dead  ?"  "  God  dead,  my  child  ! 
What  do  you  mean  ?"  "When  brother  and  sister  were  taken 
away,  you  said, '  God  lives  ;'  but  now  that  father  is  no  more, 

*  Charles  Kingsley. 


398  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

you  sit  and  weep,  and  never  say  a  word  about  God ;  so  I 
thought  he  must  be  dead  too."  "  No,  my  child,  God  is  not 
dead ;  and  he  has  sent  you  to  rebuke  the  unbelief  of  my  , 
heart.  He  liveth ;  yes,  he  liveth !  and  I  will  still  cling  to 
him.  '  Blessed  be  his  name,  and  let  the  God  of  my  salvation 
be  exalted.'  "  God  liveth  !  Let  that  be  the  sheet-anchor  of 
your  heart,  and  it  will  hold  you  in  the  fiercest  hurricane. 


D 


XXII. 

THE  CORONATION  OF  SOLOMON. 

i  KINGS  i. ;  i  CHRONICLES  xxviii. ;  xxix. 

AVID  was  now  a  feeble  old  man.  The  silver  cord 
was  beginning  to  be  loosed,  and  the  golden  bowl  was 
breaking.  The  grasshopper  had  become  a  burden,  and 
desire  had  failed.  The  days  had  come  when,  in  regard  to 
all  mere  earthly  joys,  he  said,  "  I  have  no  pleasure  in  them." 
He  was  waiting  patiently  for  his  change,  having  his  comfort 
cared  for  and  his  wants  supplied  by  a  beautiful  Shunammite 
maiden,  who  had  been  carefully  selected  for  the  purpose. 
Surely,  now,  the  storms  of  his  life  are  ended,  and  he  will 
have  a  smooth  sea  as  he  glides  into  the  eternal  haven.  So 
we  might  have  reckoned ;  but  still  the  dark  retribution  of 
his  evil  deed  was  following  him ;  and  ere  he  fell  asleep  in 
death,  the  words  of  Nathan,  "  The  sword  shall  never  depart 
from  thine  house,"  were  to  have  another  fulfillment.  Ado- 
nijah,  his  fourth  son,  whom  he  had  pampered  and  petted  by 
the  weakest  indulgence,  impatient  for  his  father's  death,  and 
eager  to  obtain  his  crown,  entered  into  a  well-concerted  plan 
to  secure  the  object  of  his  ambition.  Let  the  parents  before 
me  take  note  of  this,  and  mark  the  folly  of  permitting  their 
children  to  go  unrestrained  into  wickedness,  or  to  obtain 
without  control  every  capricious  desire.  David  "  had  never 
displeased  Adonijah  at  any  time  in  saying,  Why  hast  thou 
done  so  ?"  And  now  behold  the  result,  as  the  monarch's 
old  age  is  saddened  by  the  revolt  of  another  of  his  sons 
against  his  authority.  Indiscriminate  indulgence  of  a  son 
will  only  issue  in  his  open  rebellion  against  his  father.  We 


400  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

may  pamper  our  children  into  wrath,  as  well  as  provoke 
them  to  it ;  and  he  is  no  true  lover  either  of  himself  or  of 
his  son  who  does  not  seek  to  govern  him  by  affectionate  re- 
straint. There  must  be  discipline  in  the  home,  else  the  is- 
sue will  be  sorrow.  The  rule  must  not  be  that  of  the  des- 
pot, indeed,  else  the  end  will  also  be  disastrous ;  but  there 
must  be  rule — only  let  the  hand  of  firmness  wear  ever  the 
glove  of  love. 

After  the  example  of  Absalom,  Adonijah  set  up  a  great 
establishment,  and  rode  about  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  horses 
magnificently  caparisoned,  and  preceded  by  fifty  heralds. 
Among  his  adherents  were  Joab,  the  captain  of  the  host,  and 
Abiathar  the  priest.  We  do  not  wonder  at  the  defection  of 
the  crafty  son  of  Zeruiah,  for  David  had  made  him  feel  in 
many  ways  that  he  was  weary  of  his  arrogant  and  overbear- 
ing demeanor ;  and  he  knew  that  he  had  little  or  nothing  to 
hope  for  from  Solomon  if  he  should  come  to  the  throne. 
But  it  is  not  so  easy  to  account  for  Abiathar's  desertion. 
He  had  been  with  David  in  the  cave  of  Adullam,  had  been 
the  companion  of  his  vicissitudes  for  more  than  thirty  years, 
and  had  done  noble  service  during  Absalom's  revolt ;  and  it 
is  with  the  deepest  sorrow  that  we  see  him  now  among  those 
who  are  taking  advantage  of  the  monarch's  weakness  to  put 
a  creature  of  their  own  upon  the  throne.  Mr.  Blunt*  sup- 
poses, and  with  some  show  of  probability,  that  in  the  later 
years  of  his  reign  David  had  in  some  way  shown  his  prefer- 
ence for  Zadok  over  Abiathar,  and  that  in  jealousy  of  his  ri- 
val, whom  David  had  favored,  we  have  the  key  of  his  con- 
nection with  Adonijah's  rebellion.  But  whatever  might  be 
his  secret  reason  for  his  treasonable  conduct,  he  would  be  at 
no  loss  for  pretexts  by  which  to  vindicate  it  both  to  himself 
and  others.  He  might  allege  that  Adonijah  was  the  eldest 

*  Blunt's  "  Scriptural  Coincidences,"  pp.  153-157. 


THE  CORONATION  OF  SOLOMON.  401 

surviving  son  of  David ;  and  that,  as  he  was  in  the  mid-time 
of  his  days,  and  not,  like  Solomon,  a  mere  youth,  many  dan- 
gers to  the  State  might  be  escaped  by  seating  him  upon  the 
throne.  But  God  had  already  indicated,  in  the  most  solemn 
manner,  that  Solomon  was  to  be  his  father's  successor ;  and 
any  attempt  to  give  the  kingdom  to  another  was  not  only 
rebellion  against  David,  but  treason  against  Jehovah. 

On  this  ground,  therefore,  as  well  as  on  that  of  personal 
devotion  to  the  aged  king,  the  revolt  of  Adonijah  was  op- 
posed by  Nathan,  by  Zadok,  by  Benaiah,  the  son  of  Jehoiada, 
and  by  the  great  majority  of  the  mighty  men  whom  David 
had  honored  for  their  valor  in  his  service.  Against  such 
weighty  adversaries  one  would  have  supposed  that  Adoni- 
jah might  have  despaired  of  success ;  but  perhaps  he  im- 
agined that  Joab  and  his  army  would  prove  more  than  a 
match  for  any  force  that  could  be  arrayed  against  him.  In 
any  case,  he  acted  with  the  greatest  promptitude,  and  went 
out  with  his  followers  to  the  well  En-rogel,  near  to  which 
Jonathan  and  Ahimaaz  had  been  concealed  on  the  day  of 
the  king's  flight  from  Jerusalem.  Here  he  made  a  great 
feast,  and  was  already  rejoicing  in  the  success  which  he  im- 
agined he  had  achieved,  when  he  found  himself  unexpect- 
edly checkmated  and  defeated  ;  for  Nathan,  having  heard  of 
his  doings,  had  gone  immediately  to  Bath-sheba,  and  sent 
her  into  the  royal  closet  to  inform  the  king  of  what  was  go- 
ing on.  While  she  was  yet  speaking  to  him,  Nathan  him- 
self, according  to  previous  agreement  with  her,  came  in  and 
confirmed  her  words  ;  whereupon,  after  assuring  Bath-sheba 
with  an  oath  that  the  throne  should  be  given  to  Solomon, 
David  gave  such  orders  to  Nathan,  Zadok,  and  Jehoiada,  as 
showed  that  even  in  the  smouldering  ashes  of  the  old  man 
something  of  the  ancient  fire  still  lived.  He  bade  them  set 
Solomon  upon  the  white  mule  of  state,  and  lead  him  through 
the  city  to  Gihon,  where  Zadok  should  anoint  him  king  in 


402  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

Jehovah's  name.  This  done,  he  commanded  that  the  trump- 
et should  be  blown  before  him,  and  the  shout  raised,  "  God 
save  King  Solomon."  Thereafter  they  were  to  bring  him 
back  to  the  palace  and  seat  him  on  the  throne,  that  all  might 
know  that  he  had  appointed  him  to  be  ruler  over  Israel. 

These  injunctions  were  obeyed  to  the  letter,  and  the  re- 
sult was  that  the  popular  enthusiasm  was  evoked  to  the 
utmost ;  for  the  people  "  piped  with  pipes,  and  rejoiced  with 
great  joy,  and  the  earth  rent  with  the  sound  of  them."  The 
echo  of  their  shouting  broke  in  upon  the  mirth  of  Adonijah's 
feast  at  En-rogel,  and  provoked  from  Joab  the  question, 
"Wherefore  is  this  noise  of  the  city  being  in  an  uproar?" 
which  Jonathan,  the  son  of  Abiathar,  came  just  in  time  to 
answer.  He  told  all  that  we  have  recounted,  adding,  as  a 
new  incident,  that  the  servants  of  the  king  had  gone  to  con- 
gratulate him  upon  Solomon's  appointment,  saying  to  him, 
"  God  make  the  name  of  Solomon  better  than  thy  name,  and 
make  his  throne  greater  than  thy  throne ;"  and  receiving  for 
answer,  "  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  which  hath 
given  one  to  sit  on  my  throne  this  day,  mine  eyes  even  see- 
ing it."  These  tidings  at  once  disconcerted  the  followers 
of  Adonijah,  so  that  they  fled  every  man  to  his  home,  while 
the  prince  himself  sought  refuge  in  the  Tabernacle,  and 
laying  hold  upon  the  horns  of  the  altar,  said,  "  Let  King 
Solomon  swear  unto  me  to-day  that  he  will  not  slay  his  serv- 
ant with  the  sword."  Wisely,  however,  Solomon  declined 
to  fetter  himself  with  any  oath,  but  simply,  said,  "  If  he  will 
show  himself  a  worthy  man,  there  shall  not  a  hair  of  him 
fall  to  the  earth :  but  if  wickedness  shall  be  found  in  him, 
he  shall  die." 

So  ended  this  day  of  trouble,  and  rebuke,  and  blasphemy ; 
but,  satisfactory  as  the  conclusion  was,  so  far  as  Solomon 
was  concerned,  something  more  was  needed  before  he  could 
be  regarded  unchallengeably  as  his  father's  successor.  As 


THE  CORONATION  OF  SOLOMON.  403 

we  have  repeatedly  seen,  the  constitution  of  the  kingdom  of 
Israel  required  not  only  that  the  monarch  should  be  desig- 
nated by  Jehovah  and  anointed  by  the  priest,  but  also  that 
he  should  be  publicly  recognized  and  accepted  by  the  tribes, 
or  their  properly  authorized  representatives.  Thus,  a  consid- 
erable time  after  his  anointing  by  Samuel,  Saul  was  chosen 
by  the  people ;  and  many  years  intervened  between  David's 
designation  at  Bethlehem  and  his  election  to  the  throne,  first 
of  Judah  at  Hebron,  and  afterward  of  the  twelve  tribes  at 
Jerusalem.  Until,  therefore,  the  assembly  of  the  representa- 
tives of  the  people  had  ratified  and,  as  it  were,  repeated  the 
deed  of  Zadok,  Solomon  was  not,  in  all  respects,  the  king. 
Hence,  some  time  after  the  event  which  we  have  just  de- 
scribed, when  David  had  gained  so  much  strength  that  he 
could  undergo  the  fatigue  of  a  long  day  in  the  open  air, 
he  summoned  "  all  the  princes  of  Israel,  the  princes  of  the 
tribes,  and  the  captains  of  the  companies  that  ministered  to 
the  king  by  course,  and  the  captains  over  the  thousands,  and 
captains  over  the  hundreds,  and  the  stewards  over  all  the 
substance  and  possession  of  the  king,  and  of  his  sons,  with 
the  officers,  and  with  the  mighty  men,  and  with  all  the  val- 
iant men,  unto  Jerusalem."  It  was  a  solemn  occasion,  like 
to  that  on  which  Moses  had  taken  farewell  of  the  tribes 
whom  he  had  led  through  the  wilderness,  or  that  on  which 
Joshua  had  given  his  parting  exhortation  to  the  people  whom 
he  had  settled  in  Canaan  ;  or  that  on  which  Samuel  had  for- 
mally laid  aside  his  functions  and  handed  over  the  sover- 
eignty to  Saul. 

Deep  must  have  been  the  feelings  of  David's  heart  as  he 
presided  for  the  last  time  over  the  assembly  of  the  people ; 
and  with  mingled  emotions  they  must  have  looked  on  the  frag- 
ile form  of  him  who  had  been  so  long  identified  with  their 
national  history,  and  on  the  intelligent  countenance  of  the 
youth  at  his  side,  who  was  so  soon  to  add  new  lustre  to  their 


404  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

renown.  With  tender  affection,  David  addressed  them  as 
his  brethren  and  his  people  (i  Chron.  xxviii.,  2),  and  unfold- 
ed to  them  the  cherished  purpose  of  his  heart  to  build  a 
temple  to  Jehovah,  together  with  the  message  which  he  had 
received  from  Nathan  in  regard  to  it.  Then,  turning  to  the 
blushing  youth  beside  him,  he  said,  "And  thou,  Solomon  my 
son,  know  thou  the  God  of  thy  father,  and  serve  him  with  a 
perfect  heart  and  with  a  willing  mind  :  for  the  Lord  search- 
eth  all  hearts,  and  understandeth  all  the  imaginations  of  the 
thoughts  :  if  thou  seek  him,  he  will  be  found  of  thee  ;  but  if 
thou  forsake  him,  he  will  cast  thee  off  forever.  Take  heed 
now ;  for  the  Lord  hath  chosen  thee  to  build  a  house  for  the 
sanctuary :  be  strong,  and  do  it." 

After  this  he  gave  him  the  plans  which  he  had  already 
prepared,  by  divine  direction,  of  "the  porch,  and  of  the 
houses  thereof,  and  of  the  treasuries  thereof,  and  of  the  up- 
per chambers  thereof,  and  of  the  inner  parlors  thereof,  and 
of  the  place  of  the  mercy-seat,  and  the  pattern  of  all  that  he 
had  by  the  Spirit,  of  the  courts  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and 
of  all  the  chambers  round  about,"  and  a  list  of  the  things 
which  he  had  already  consecrated  for  the  purpose.  Then 
he  brought  forth  the  gold  which  he  had  accumulated  for 
the  various  articles  which  the  Temple  required  ;  and  when 
the  spectators  had  recovered  from  the  amazement  which  the 
sight  of  such  treasures  must  have  produced,  he  renewed  his 
charge  to  his  son,  saying,  "  Be  strong  and  of  good  courage, 
and  do  it :  fear  not,  nor  be  dismayed,  for  the  Lord  God,  even 
my  God,  will  be  with  thee  ;  he  will  not  fail  thee,  nor  forsake 
thee,  until  thou  hast  finished  all  the  work  for  the  service  of 
the  house  of  the  Lord."  But  Solomon  was  not  the  only  par- 
ty concerned ;  so,  turning  to  the  congregation,  David  com- 
mended his  son  to  their  confidence  and  care,  detailing  still 
more  of  the  preparations  which  he  had  made  for  the  great 
work  which  he  wished  to  be  performed,  and  beseeching  them 


THE  CORONATION  OF  SOLOMON.  405 

to  do  their  best,  since  "  the  palace  was  not  for  man,  but  for 
God."  Nay,  as  he  was  their  God,  as  well  as  the  God  of  their 
king,  it  was  meet  that  they  also  should  be  sharers  with  him 
in  the  honor  and  the  privilege  of  carrying  forward  this  holy 
undertaking ;  so  he  made  an  appeal  to  them  in  this  heart- 
searching  question:  "Who  then  is  willing  to  consecrate  his 
service  this  day  unto  the  Lord  ?"  The  response  was  liberal 
and  enthusiastic  ;  for  the  people,  catching  the  holy  infection 
of  the  royal  self-sacrifice,  laid  upon  the  altar  "  of  gold  five 
thousand  talents  and  ten  thousand  drams,  and  of  silver  ten 
thousand  talents,  and  of  brass  eighteen  thousand  talents,  and 
one  hundred  thousand  talents  of  iron,"  while  those  who  had 
precious  stones  generously  devoted  them  to  the  sacred  en- 
terprise. It  was  a  gladsome  day ;  a  time  of  holy  privilege 
highly  prized  ;  a  season  of  precious  opportunity  thoroughly 
improved ;  an  era  of  revived  spiritual  life,  leading  to  unre- 
served consecration  of  soul  and  substance  to  the  Lord.  The 
hearts  alike  of  king  and  people  were  opened  to  receive  God's 
blessing,  and  in  the  receiving  they  gave  out  their  own  incense 
of  gratitude,  even  as  the  flower,  when  it  unfolds  its  petals  to 
the  morning  sunbeam,  does,  by  the  very  unfolding,  give  forth 
its  fragrance  to  the  air  around.  But  it  is  ever  thus.  He 
who  knows  and  feels  that  he  is  receiving  is  then  and  thereby 
led  to  give  out  of  his  heart's  gratitude  to  God ;  and,  looking 
at  once  to  the  origin  and  the  issue  of  this  great  national  re- 
vival of  religion,  we  regard  it  as  the  grandest  scene  in  Da- 
vid's whole  career. 

As  sometimes  the  setting  sun  gilds  the  western  sky,  and 
makes  of  the  very  clouds  which  had  obscured  the  afternoon 
a  bank  of  burnished  gold,  giving  thereby  a  glory  to  the  heav 
ens  which  in  the  absence  of  the  clouds  could  never  be  pro- 
duced, so  this  last  public  appearance  of  the  aged  monarch 
fringes  with  a  golden  border  even  the  dark  passages  of  his 
life,  and  borrows,  too,  from  them  a  frame-work  of  blackness 


406  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

which,  by  its  very  contrast,  brings  out  more  vividly  the  bright- 
ness of  the  departing  luminary.  The  clouds  had  been  very 
dark,  but  the  sun  had  been  behind  them  all  the  while ;  and 
now,  ere  he  goes  down  beneath  the  west,  he  has  broken 
through  them  and  partially  dispersed  them,  and  men  recog- 
nize once  more  his  greatness.  We  see  now  the  "one  in- 
creasing purpose "  which  ran  through  all  his  life.  We  un- 
derstand now  why  he  was  so  eager  in  amassing  treasure,  and 
so  active  in  adding  spoil  to  spoil ;  for  as  the  student,  on  his 
return  from  college,  lays  reverently  in  his  mother's  lap  the 
prizes  which  he  has  toiled  night  and  day  to  win,  so  David 
here  places  devoutly  on  Jehovah's  altar  all  that  he  had  gain- 
ed throughout  his  earthly  career,  saying,  virtually,  "  For  thee 
I  won  them,  and  to  thee  I  give  them."  Even  as  he  laid 
them  there,  indeed,  they  were  wet  with  his  penitential  tears 
over  the  great  transgression  of  his  life.  Still  he  laid  them 
there ;  and  he  who  forgave  the  iniquity  of  his  sin  accepted 
the  gift  he  brought. 

Such  an  assembly,  crowned  with  such  an  offering  to  God, 
could  not  separate  without  an  act  of  special  worship,  and 
who  so  fit  to  lead  the  devotions  in  speech  as  he  who  had  led 
them  in  the  worship  of  liberal  offerings  ?  So,  taking  his  place 
before  the  people,  David  blessed  the  Lord  in  language  as  af- 
fecting as  it  is  sublime,  as  tender  as  it  is  true.  I  can  not  re- 
sist the  impulse  to  repeat  it  here :  "  Blessed  be  thou,  Lord 
God  of  Israel  our  father,  for  ever  and  ever.  Thine,  O  Lord, 
is  the  greatness,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  and  the  victo- 
ry, and  the  majesty :  for  all  that  is  in  the  heaven  and  in  the 
earth  is  thine ;  thine  is  the  kingdom,  O  Lord,  and  thou  art 
exalted  as  head  above  all.  Both  riches  and  honor  come  of 
thee,  and  thou  reignest  over  all ;  and  in  thine  hand  is  power 
and  might ;  and  in  thine  hand  it  is  to  make  great,  and  to 
give  strength  unto  all.  Now  therefore,  our  God,  we  thank 
thee,  and  praise  thy  glorious  name.  But  who  am  I,  and  what 


THE  CORONATION  OF  SOLOMON.  407 

is  my  people,  that  we  should  be  able  to  offer  so  willingly  af- 
ter this  sort  ?  for  all  things  come  of  thee,  and  of  thine  own 
have  we  given  thee.  For  we  are  strangers  before  thee,  and 
sojourners,  as  were  all  our  fathers :  our  days  on  the  earth  are 
as  a  shadow,  and  there  is  none  abiding.  O  Lord  our  God, 
all  this  store  that  we  have  prepared  to  build  thee  a  house 
for  thine  holy  name  cometh  of  thine  hand,  and  is  all  thine 
own.  I  know  also,  my  God,  that  thou  triest  the  heart,  and 
hast  pleasure  in  uprightness.  As  for  me,  in  the  uprightness 
of  mine  heart  I  have  willingly  offered  all  these  things :  and 
now  have  I  seen  with  joy  thy  people,  which  are  present  here, 
to  offer  willingly  unto  thee.  O  Lord  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  of  Israel,  our  fathers,  keep  this  forever  in  the  imagination 
of  the  thoughts  of  the  heart  of  thy  people,  and  prepare  their 
heart  unto  thee  :  and  give  unto  Solomon  my  son  a  perfect 
heart,  to  keep  thy  commandments,  thy  testimonies,  and  thy 
statutes,  and  to  do  all  these  things,  and  to  build  the  palace, 
for  the  which  I  have  made  provision."  This  prayer  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  sacrificial  feast,  after  which  Solomon  was  anoint- 
ed for  the  second  time  as  the  accepted  monarch  of  the  tribes 
of  Israel. 

But  this  public  service  was  probably  not  the  only  thing 
connected  with  Solomon's  anointing,  for  after  the  assembly 
had  dispersed,  and  the  aged  king  had  retired  to  his  cham- 
ber, it  is  not  unlikely  that  he  took  his  harp  once  more,  and 
sang  to  its  strains  that  wondrous  Messiah-psalm  which,  ris- 
ing from  the  circumstances  of  his  son,  looks  down  through 
all  the  ages  to  the  final  triumph  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom. 
I  refer  to  the  72d  Psalm ;  and  as  we  read  it  now,  in  the  light 
of  the  events  which  I  have  recounted,  we  can  not  but  feel  a 
new  interest  in  it,  and  derive  new  inspiration  from  it.  I  can 
not  go  fully  into  its  consideration,  but  must  content  myself 
with  giving  the  briefest  summary  of  its  substance.  Begin- 
ning with  the  description  of  a  king  who,  blessed  with.  Jeho- 


408  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

vah's  judgments,  should  "judge  his  people  with  righteousness 
and  his  poor  with  judgment,"  he  passes  to  the  benignity  of 
his  sway.  "  He  shall  come  down  like  rain  upon  the  mown 
grass :  as  showers  that  water  the  earth."  Then  he  asserts 
the  universality  of  his  dominion  :  "  His  dominion  shall  be 
from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  unto  the  ends  of  the 
earth ;"  and  the  perpetuity  of  his  reign :  "  His  name  shall 
endure  forever :  his  name  shall  be  continued  as  long  as  the 
sun  :  and  men  shall  be  blessed  in  him  :  all  nations  shall  call 
him  blessed."  The  conclusion  is  a  grand  outburst  of  praise, 
which  seems  almost  to  anticipate  the  hallelujahs  of  the  skies. 
"  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God,  the  God  of  Israel,  who  only 
doeth  wondrous  things.  And  blessed  be  his  glorious  name 
forever :  and  let  the  whole  earth  be  filled  with  his  glory. 
Amen  and  Amen."  Little  wonder  that  as  men  read  this  glow- 
ing ode,  they  say,  "A  greater  than  Solomon  is  here."  This 
is  emphatically  the  missionary  Psalm,  and  it  were  well  if, 
every  time  we  sang  it,  our  hearts  would  expand  into  the  no- 
ble liberality  manifested  by  the  king  and  the  people  of  Isra- 
el on  the  day  by  which  it  was  probably  occasioned  ;  for  what 
is  the  cause  of  missions  but  the  building  of  a  nobler  temple 
than  that  which  Solomon  reared — a  temple,  the  stones  of 
which  are  living  souls ;  the  incense  of  which  is  the  love  of 
holy  hearts,  and  the  praises  of  which  are  the  songs  of  the  re- 
deemed ? 

Let  me  make  this  thought  the  centre  of  the  practical  re- 
marks with  which  my  exposition  must  conclude.  Observe, 
then,  in  the  first  place,  the  work  to  which  God  has  called 
us  in  the  world.  It  is  that  of  building  a  temple  for  his 
abode.  The  edifice  for  which  David  made  such  magnifi- 
"cent  preparations,  and  which  Solomon  reared  in  splendor, 
was,  after  all,  only  a  typical  structure.  That  which  was  out- 
ward came  first,  and  afterward  that  which  is  spiritual.  In 
the  New  Testament,  indeed,  the  figure  of  the  temple  is  em- 


THE  CORONATION  OF  SOLOMON.  409 

ployed  with  a  threefold  reference.  Sometimes  it  is  used  to 
signify  the  body  of  the  Saviour  himself,  as  when  he  said  to 
the  Jews,  "  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise 
it  up  again."  Sometimes  it  is  applied  to  the  body  of  the  be- 
liever, as  when  Paul  says,  "  Know  ye  not  that  your  body  is 
the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  in  you,  which  ye  have 
of  God  ?"  But  more  usually  it  is  employed  to  describe  the 
spiritual  church'  which  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  founded  in 
the  world.  The  Lord  himself  is  the  foundation  of  this  holy 
edifice,  according  as  Paul  has  said,  "  Other  foundation  can 
no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ."  Be- 
lievers are  the  stones  of  which  it  is  composed,  as  Peter  has 
written  :  "  Ye  also  as  living  stones  are  built  up  a  spiritual 
house ;"  and  Paul  again  has  affirmed, "  In  whom  ye  also  are 
builded  together  for  a  habitation  of  God  through  the  Spir- 
it." Apostles,  evangelists,  ministers,  missionaries,  and  active 
Christian  workers  are  the  builders  engaged  in  its  erection, 
for  Paul  has  called  himself  "  a  wise  master-builder,"  and  urges 
others  to  enthusiasm  in  the  great  undertaking ;  while  at  the 
same  time  he  bids  every  man  "  take  heed  how  he  buildeth 
thereupon." 

This,  then,  is  the  work  which  is  committed  to  our  care  as 
Christians — the  building  in  of  believing  souls  to  this  great 
living  edifice;  which  we  call  the  Christian  Church,  or,  in 
simpler  and  less  figurative  phraseology,  the  conversion  of 
human  souls,  and  the  formation  in  them  of  a  holy  character ; 
and  it  will  be  completed  only  when  the  prophecy  shall  be 
fulfilled,  that  "  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge 
of  the  Lord  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea."  I  have  said  this 
is  our  work,  and  yet  in  another  sense,  and  from  another  side, 
it  is  the  work  of  God  himself;  but  it  is  his  work,  carried  on, 
in,  and  through  our  consecration  of  ourselves  to  its  perform- 
ance, "for  we  are  laborers  together  with  God."  And  what  a 
work  it  is !  There  is  an  interest  deep  and  peculiar  in  taking 

18 


410  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

the  stones  from  the  quarry,  and  hewing  them  into  shape,  and 
polishing  them  into  shining  smoothness,  and  placing  them  in 
their  courses  one  above  another,  until  at  length  the  house  is 
finished  for  a  royal  palace,  or  a  temple  of  worship.  But  what 
is  that,  after  all,  to  the  delight  which  is  felt,  or  the  enthusi- 
asm which  is  awakened,  as  we  dig  up  human  souls  from  the 
quarry  of  sin,  or  ignorance,  or  degradation,  and,  through  the 
processes  of  a  loving  and  holy  education  prepare  them  for 
their  places  in  this  living  temple  !  What  marble  so  precious 
as  a  human  soul !  what  granite  so  indestructible  as  an  im- 
mortal spirit !  what  beauty  so  rare  as  that  of  a  character 
which  is  moulded  and  fashioned  after  the  pattern  of  the  Re- 
deemer himself!  And  it  is  given  to  us  to  work  with  such 
valuable  and  imperishable  materials  for  the  adornment  of 
that  stately  structure  which  is  "  built  upon  the  foundation  of 
the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the 
chief  corner-stone."  What  an  exalted  honor,  but  what  a  sol- 
emn responsibility !  Let  us  not  loiter  at  our  holy  enterprise, 
but  day  by  day  let  us  labor  on  with  untiring  earnestness,  un- 
til, when  evening  comes,  we  shall  be  greeted  with  the  "  well- 
done  "  of  him  who  is  the  architect  and  is  to  be  the  inhab- 
itant of  the  temple  itself.  My  hearer,  hast  thou  builded  in 
yet  even  one  living  stone  into  this  holy  fane  ? 

Observe,  in  the  second  place,  that  it  is  not  given  to  any 
one  man,  or  to  any  single  generation,  to  finish  this  glorious 
structure.  David  gathered  the  materials,  and  Solomon  built 
the  house.  So,  many  of  those  who  were  present  on  the  joyful 
occasion  which  we  have  described  might  also  be  spectators 
on  the  gladsome  day  of  the  consecration,  when  the  mystic 
cloud  descended  and  filled  the  newly-finished- Temple.  But 
with  the  Church  of  Christ  it  is  different.  That  has  been  in 
process  of  erection  for  centuries,  and  it  is  not  completed  yet. 
In  this  respect  it  resembles  not  so  much  the  sacred  building 
that  crowned  the  height  of  Moriah  as  one  of  these  mediaeval 


THE  CORONATION  OF  SOLOMON.  411 

cathedrals  on  which  many  successive  generations  labored, 
and  which  to-day  remain  as  the  result  of  many  hundred  years 
of  toil.  "Other  men  have  labored"  on  it,  and  "we  are  en- 
tered upon  their  labors."  The  architect  is  one  ;  the  builders 
are  multitudinous,  belonging  to  every  age  and  nation.  It  is 
but  a  small  portion  of  it  we  can  hope  to  rear  at  best,  there- 
fore let  us  employ  every  moment  of  our  time,  and  let  us  make 
our  part  worthy  of  the  workmanship  of  our  illustrious  prede- 
cessors. It  is  ours  to  carry  forward  a  building  on  which  Paul, 
and  John,  and  Augustine,  and  Chrysostom,  and  Luther,  and 
Calvin,  and  Knox,  and  Edwards,  and  Wesley,  and  Whitefield 
spent  their  strength  and  showed  their  skill.  Let  us  not  dis- 
honor their  workmanship,  but  let  us  strive  so  to  do  our  por- 
tion that  those  who  may  come  after  us  shall  be  stimulated  by 
our  example,  as  we  have  been  by  that  of  those  who  have 
gone  before  us. 

Observe,  again,  the  principles  by  which  we  should  be  ani- 
mated in  prosecuting  this  work.  "  The  palace  is  not  for  man, 
but  for  God."  What  we  do  for  him,  therefore,  should  be  of 
our  best,  the  more  especially  as  every  thing  which  we  have 
has  come  from  him.  Every  day  we  are  receiving  new  favors 
from  his  hands ;  and  behind  and  above  all  the  rest  there  is 
the  unspeakable  gift  of  his  Son.  Let  us  do  as  we  may,  there- 
fore, it  is  still  true  that  "  of  his  own  we  give  to  him  ;"  for  if 
we  lay  our  hearts  upon  his  altar,  it  is  he  who  has  produced 
within  us  the  holy  impulse  of  self-consecration ;  and  if  we 
bring  our  offering  of  silver  and  gold  to  him,  we  are  but  giv- 
ing to  him  that  which  is  already  his,  since  in  the  sense  of  ab- 
solute possession  he  is  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  universe,  and 
we  are  only  the  hands  by  which  for  the  time  he  holds  that 
wealth  which  we  so  fondly  call  our  own.  To  adopt  the  New 
Testament  words,  "We  are  stewards  of  the  manifold  bounty 
of  God;"  and  if  we  had  a  right  idea  of  our  duty,  we  would  seek 
to  use  every  thing  which  we  have  for  him.  Now  he  desires 


412  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

us  specially  to  build  this  spiritual  house  for  his  own  abode  ? 
Shall  we  not,  then,  gratefully,  lovingly,  and  liberally  obey  his 
command  ?  Moreover,  this  house  will  be  his  eternal  habita- 
tion. The  Temple  of  Solomon  is  no  more,  and  the  stateliest 
cathedral  must  one  day  crumble  into  dust ;  but  this  spirit- 
ual edifice  abides,  and  shall  be  the  temple  of  the  skies.  In 
threading  our  way  through  the  streets  of  some  ancient  city — 
such,  for  example,  as  the  Cowgate  and  Canongate  of  Edin- 
burgh— we  mark  the  strange  devices  graven  above  the  portals 
of  the  houses,  which  indicate  that  in  former  days  they  were 
the  habitations  of  nobility ;  and  here  and  there  we  come  Upon 
some  quaint  mottoes,  such  as  this,  "  My  trust  is  in  the  Lord ;" 
or  this, "  Be  merciful  to  me,  O  God,"  which  render  it  proba- 
ble that  the  dwellings  on  which  they  are  engraved  were  first 
erected  by  those  "  who  feared  the  Lord  and  thought  upon  his 
name."  But  now  they  are  for  the  most  part  the  homes  of 
the  guilty  and  the  vile,  and  wickedness  is  holding  riot  in  the 
chambers  which  architecture  originally  reared  for  the  habita- 
tions of  rank  or  the  homes  of  piety.  One  can  not  visit  these 
places  as  they  are  to-day  without  thinking  of  the  transitori- 
ness  of  all  earthly  things,  and  wondering  whether,  if  the  first 
builder  had  foreseen  the  base  uses  to  which  his  house  would 
be  ultimately  turned,  he  would  have  bestowed  so  much  pains 
in  its  erection,  or  adorned  it  with  such  exquisite  products 
of  the  sculptor's  skill.  But  there  is  no  danger  of  such  a  de- 
terioration in  the  house — composed  of  human  souls — which 
Christian  men  are  rearing  for  a  habitation  of  God  through 
the  Spirit.  The  Lord  shall  be  the  eternal  inhabitant,  and  the 
beauty  and  the  grandeur  of  his  palace  shall  be  as  immortal 
as  he  is  himself.  It  was  the  boast  of  the  Grecian  artist  that 
he  painted  for  eternity,  and  yet  his  works  have  all  but  disap- 
peared already ;  but  they  who  engage  in  the  service  of  Christ 
and  succeed  in  bringing  souls  to  him,  are  building  literally 
for  eternity.  Their  work  shall  abide.  Time  that  changes 


THE  CORONATION  OF  SOLOMON.  413 

all  things  else  will  not  eat  into  these  spiritual  walls,  and 
eternity  itself  shall  see  no  decay  in  this  fabric  of  the  ages. 
It  will  need  all  time  for  its  completion,  indeed,  but  then 
it  will  last  through  eternity ;  and  so,  if  we  wish  to  put  forth 
our  efforts  where  they  will  be  most  permanently  effective, 
we  will  devote  them  to  labor  on  this  palace  for  the  King 
of  kings. 

Once  more,  let  us  reflect  that  the  progress  of  this  spiritual 
edifice,  thus  honoring  to  God,  is  also  inseparably  associated 
with  the  happiness  of  men.  Recall  for  a  moment  the  words 
of  the  72d  Psalm,  which,  though  applicable  primarily  to  the 
influence  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  as  a  ruler,  may  be  trans- 
lated into  harmony  with  this  great  temple-building.  "Men 
shall  be  blessed  in  him,  and  all  nations  shall  call  him  bless- 
ed ;"  that  is  to  say,  in  proportion  as  souls  are  brought  to  Je- 
sus and  built  into  this  spiritual  fabric,  the  purity,  the  pros- 
perity, and  the  progress  of  mankind  shall  advance.  Does 
any  one  doubt  this  ?  Let  him  look  around !  To  what  do 
we  owe  our  liberties,  our  privileges,  and  our  proud  position 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth  ?  Is  it  not  to  the  degree 
in  which  the  Gospel  of  Christ  has  leavened  the  land  ?  The 
Christianity  of  the  nation  is  the  nation's  life.  All  that  is 
true,  and  honest,  and  just,  and  pure,  and  lovely,  and  of  good 
report  among  us  has  been  but  a  development  of  the  princi- 
ples which  centre  in  the  cross  of  Calvary ;  and  if  the  evils 
that  remain  are  ever  to  be  removed,  they  can  only  be  so 
by  the  conversion  of  the  masses  of  our  fellow-citizens  to  Je- 
sus; that  is,  by  the  building  of  them  into  this  living  temple 
that  has  been  rising  so  majestically  through  all  the  Christian 
ages.  Nay,  wider  still,  if  the  world  is  to  be  elevated  and  pu- 
rified, if  the  race  of  men  is  to  be  developed  to  its  noblest 
possibilities  of  good,  whether  intellectual,  or  moral,  or  social, 
the  Gospel  of  Christ  must  still  be  the  instrument  which  we 
employ ;  and  that  end  shall  be  reached  only  when  the  head- 


414  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

stone  of  this  holy  house  shall  be  brought  forth  with  shout- 
ings, "  Grace,  grace  unto  it !" 

Having,  therefore,  all  these  truths  before  you,  suffer  me 
now  to  make  the  appeal  of  David  :  "  Who  then  is  willing  to 
consecrate  his  service  this  day  unto  the  Lord?"  Who  is 
willing.  It  is  a  voluntary  thing.  The  Lord  will  accept  no 
begrudged  laborer.  He  will  have  no  reluctant  toil.  Whoso 
labors  for  him  must  labor  with  a  will.  "Who  is  willing  to 
consecrate  his  service?"  It  is  a  holy  offering — a  laying  of 
self,  and  service,  and  substance  upon  the  altar  of  Jehovah ; 
"for  the  palace  is  not  for  man,  but  for  God,"  of  whom  riches 
and  honor  come.  "Who  then  is  willing  to  consecrate  his 
service  this  day  unto  the  Lord  ?"  This  day !  this  day !  "  For 
our  days  upon  the  earth  are  as  a  shadow,  and  there  is  none 
abiding."  Even  now  it  may  be  almost  even-tide  with  many. 
The  eleventh  hour  may  have  struck  for  some,  and  the  warn- 
ing of  the  twelfth  may  have  sounded  for  others  from  the 
clock  of  destiny ;  yet  as  they  stand  idly  in  the  market-place, 
there  comes  even  to  such  the  command,  "  Go,  work  to-day 
for  me."  Make  haste  that  you  may  do  something  before 
the  opportunity  goes  past.  And  if  there  should  be  here 
some  David  whom  God  has  intrusted  with  large  possessions 
or  great  prosperity,  or  what  is  better  than  either,  a  great 
heart,  let  him,  too,  hasten  to  bring  forth  his  gifts  for  this  glo- 
rious cause,  that  so  his  example  may  stimulate  others,  and 
we  may  see  a  revival  of  life,  liberality,  and  labor  in  the 
Church  of  Christ.  As  said  the  great,  good  Whitefield,  in 
days  past,  so  say  I. now  to  you:  "I  want  more  tongues, more 
bodies,  more  souls  for  the  Lord  Jesus.  Had  I  ten  thousand, 
he  should  have  them  all.  So  that  I  had  as  many  tongues 
as  there  are  hairs  on  my  head,  the  ever-loving,  ever  lovely 
Jesus  should  have  them  all !"  "  Who  then  is  willing  to  con- 
secrate his  service  this  day  unto  the  Lord  ?" 


XXIII. 

LAST  WORDS, 
i  KINGS  ii. ;  2  SAMUEL  xxiii.,  i. 

AFTER  the  solemn  assembly  of  the  estates  of  the  realm, 
at  which  David  publicly  inaugurated  the  reign  of  Sol- 
omon, the  strength  of  the  aged  monarch  seems  gradually  to 
have  ebbed  away  until "  the  days  drew  near  that  he  must 
die."  During  these  heart-searching  times  of  silence  and  re- 
tirement, as  he  lay  looking  back  upon  the  irrevocable  past, 
and  forward  into  the  dread  eternity,  many  thoughts  must 
have  filled  his  mind,  and  much  close  communion  with  God 
must  have  been  enjoyed  by  him.  He  meddled  now  not 
much  with  earthly  things,  but  when  he  did  give  any  atten- 
tion to  them,  the  reign  of  Solomon  still  came  uppermost, 
and  his  earnest  admonitions  to  his  son  concerning  the  build- 
ing of  the  Temple,  and  the  character  which  he  was  to  choose 
and  cultivate,  were  renewed.  One  such  occasion  appears  to 
have  been  more  important  than  all  the  rest ;  and  it  is  to  that 
the  sacred  historian  refers  in  the  portion  of  the  narrative  at 
which  we  have  now  arrived  (i  Kings  ii.,  1-9).  Feeling  with- 
in him  the  sure  premonitions  of  approaching  death,  he  laid 
upon  Solomon,  with  all  the  importance  of  a  last  injunction, 
a  most  important  charge.  First  he  reminded  him  of  the 
conditional  promise  which  God  had  given  to  him  through 
Nathan  in  these  words  :  "  If  thy  children  take  heed  to  their 
way,  to  walk  before  me  in  truth  with  all  their  heart  and  with 
all  their  soul,  there  shall  not  fail  thee  a  man  on  the  throne  of 
Israel ;"  and  upon  this  he  founded  the  following  exhortation  : 
"  Be  thou  strong  therefore,  and  show  thyself  a  man ;  and  keep 


416  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

the  charge  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  to  walk  in  his  ways."  We 
can  not  read  this  injunction  now  without  being  reminded 
of  Paul's  words  to  Timothy,  in  somewhat  similar  circum- 
stances :  "  Thou,  therefore,  my  son,  be  strong  in  the  grace 
that  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  Nor  can  we  fail  to  see  the  appro- 
priateness of  the  command  to  ourselves,  for  God's  promises, 
even  in  Christ,  are  conditioned  on  our  acceptance  of  them,  and 
on  our  obedience  of  the  precepts  in  connection  with  which 
they  are  given.  It  may  seem,  indeed,  strange  that  we  should 
be  commanded  to  be  strong,  since,  at  first  sight,  strength 
may  not  appear  to  be  a  thing  wholly  in  our  own  hands ;  but 
we  must  never  forget  that  God  imparts  his  strength  to  us 
only  through  the  strenuous  forth-putting  of  our  own.  If  we 
would  secure  his  might,  we  must  earnestly  employ  our  own. 
If  we  would  receive  grace  from  him  to  resist  temptation, 
we  must  ourselves  show  firmness  and  courage;  if  we  would 
ultimately,  through  him,  be  conquerors  in  the  battle  of  life, 
we  must  zealously  carry  on  the  fight  ourselves.  In  the 
Gospel  narrative,  the  man  who  had  the  withered  arm  re- 
ceived strength  to  put  it  forth,  by  honestly  and  believingly 
making  the  attempt  to  do  what  Jesus  bade  him;  and  we 
shall  be  supported  in  the  discharge  of  difficult  duty  only 
when  we  endeavor  to  perform  it  as  heartily  as  if  the  whole 
power  required  were  our  own ;  while  at  the  same  time  we 
look  up  to  God  for  help  as  sincerely  as  if  all  the  might  were 
really  to  come  from  him,  as  indeed  it  always  does.  When 
God  says  "  Be  strong,"  we  get  the  strength  which  we  need  by 
acting  in  such  a  way  as  implies  that  we  already  possess  it. 
This  may  seem  a  paradox,  but  it  is  the  paradox  of  faith  in 
every  form.  Admirably  has  one  said,  "The  moment  relig- 
ion ceases  to  command  men  to  attempt  the  impossible,  it 
ceases  to  be  religion  ;"  and  when  faith  that  is  really  faith  at- 
tempts the  impossible,  it  changes  it  forthwith  into  the  possi- 
ble ;  for  then  the  strength  of  God  is  made  perfect  in  human 


LAST  WORDS.  417 

weakness.  For  the  young  especially  no  axiom  is  more  im- 
portant than  this,  contradictory  as  it  may  seem,  that  to  gain 
divine  strength  we  must  be  strong,  and  set  ourselves  de- 
fiantly against  all  evil.  Take  then,  my  friends,  a  decided 
stand  for  God,  and  truth,  and  duty,  and  the  strength  needed 
to  maintain  that  stand  will  not  be  withheld  from  those  who 
seek  it.  "  Watch  ye,  stand  fast  in  the  faith,  quit  you  like 
men,  be  strong." 

Appended  to  this  wise  paternal  counsel,  David  gave  to 
Solomon  sundry  injunctions  as  to  the  discharge  of  his  gov- 
ernmental duties  toward  certain  individuals.  First  he  spoke 
of  Joab ;  and,  after  referring  to  his  murder  of  Abner  and 
Amasa  in  circumstances  of  peculiar  atrocity,  he  said,  "  Do 
therefore  according  to  thy  wisdom,  and  let  not  his  hoar  head 
go  down  to  the  grave  in  peace."  Next  he  alluded  in  kind- 
ly terms  to  the  sons  of  good  old  Barzillai,  and  commended 
them  to  his  tender  care  thus :  "  Let  them  be  of  those  that 
eat  at  thy  table :  for  so  they  came  to  me  when  I  fled  because 
of  Absalom  thy  brother."  Finally  he  spake  of  Shimei,  who 
had  so  shamefully  and  spitefully  cursed  him  on  the  same  sad 
occasion  ;  and  after  acknowledging  the  oath  by  which  he  had 
bound  himself  to  him,  he  added,  "  Now  therefore  hold  him 
not  guiltless  :  for  thou  art  a  wise  man,  and  knowest  what  thou 
oughtest  to  do  unto  him  ;  but  his  hoar  head  bring  thou  down 
to  the  grave  with  blood."  Now,  so  far  as  regards  his  request 
concerning  the  sons  of  Barzillai,  we  can  have  no  feelings  but 
those  of  approbation ;  but  it  does  seem  as  if  his  injunctions 
concerning  Joab  and  Shimei  were  characterized  by  a  vin- 
dictive and  revengeful  spirit  altogether  out  of  harmony  with 
his  usual  disposition,  and  utterly  inconsistent  with  the  sol- 
emn position  in  which  he  was  placed.  A  death-bed  is  a 
place  for  forgiveness,  and  not  for  implacability ;  and  even 
those  who  in  their  lives  have  not  been  conspicuous  for  their 
religious  principle  have,  as  they  lay  dying,  sent  messages 

1 8* 


418  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

of  reconciliation  to  such  as  have  been  at  variance  with 
them. 

At  first,  therefore,  and  without  going  into  the  consideration 
of  the  cases  in  detail,  we  are  disposed  to  express  our  aston- 
ishment at  the  spirit  here  manifested  by  David,  and  to  pro- 
nounce condemnation  on  -it.  In  regard  to  Shimei,  indeed, 
some  have  supposed  that  the  case  is  not  so  bad  as  our  trans- 
lators have  made  it  appear.  Kennicott,  the  learned  Hebra- 
ist, has  affirmed  that  it  is  not  uncommon  in  that  language  to 
omit  the  negative  in  the  second  part  of  a  sentence,  and  con- 
sider it  as  repeated  where  it  has  been  expressed  in  the  for- 
mer part  of  the  sentence,  if  they  be  connected  by  the  usual 
conjunctive  particle.  Therefore  he  would  read  David's  in- 
junction as  to  Shimei  thus  :  "  Hold  him  not  guiltless,  but 
bring  thou  not  his  hoar  head  to  the  grave  with  blood."  I  am 
not  sufficiently  conversant  with  the  niceties  of  the  Hebrew 
language  to  be  competent  to  give  an  opinion  on  such  a  point 
as  this ;  but  this  proposed  rendering  has  been  adopted  by 
such  scholars  as  Dr.  Angus,  in  his  "  Bible  Hand-book,"  and 
Dr.  Jameson,  in  his  excellent  commentary  on  the  -historical 
books  of  the  Old  Testament ;  and  it  must  be  confessed  that 
it  receives  a  certain  measure  of  support  from  Solomon's  af- 
ter-treatment of  Shimei,  since  he  did  not  put  him  to  death  at 
first,  but  merely  confined  him  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of 
Jerusalem,  and  shed  his  blood  only  when  he  had  violated  the 
conditions  on  which  his  life  had  been  granted  to  him. 

But  whatever  may  be  said  regarding  Shimei,  there  remains 
the  case  of  Joab ;  and  when  we  remember  how  much  David 
owed  him,  we  are  apt  to  feel  that  he  might  now  have  con- 
doned his  faults,  and  let  him  go  unpunished.  All  this  must 
be  frankly  conceded ;  but  when  we  go  below  the  surface  of 
the  narrative  and  take  all  the  bearings  of  the  subject  into 
our  consideration,  the  case  against  David  is  not  so  bad 
as  it  looks.  I  at  least  am  not  disposed  to  pronounce  un- 


LAST  WORDS.  419 

qualified  censure  upon  him ;  nay  rather,  I  am  inclined  to 
stand  up  in  his  defense,  and  to  maintain  that  his  design  in 
giving  these  commands  was  to  secure  the  prosperity  of  Sol- 
omon's reign,  and  to  prevent  his  son  from  erring,  as  he  him- 
self had  erred,  by  timidly  and  weakly  passing  over  the  crimes 
of  men  simply  because  they  happened  to  be  related  to  him- 
self, or  to  be  powerful  and  prominent  in  the  land.  Let  it  be 
remembered  that  revenge  was  not  a  characteristic  feature 
of  David's  disposition.  He  was  chivalrous  in  a  high  degree. 
He  was  a  generous  enemy.  He  did  not  cherish  malice,  or 
vindictively  plot  for  a  rival's  destruction.  Once  and  again, 
when  he  might  easily  have  rid  himself  of  Saul,  he  allowed 
him  to  go  unharmed ;  and  in  his  treatment  of  Joab  on  the 
two  occasions  to  which  he  here  makes  reference,  there  was 
a  criminal  weakness  which  was  unworthy  of  a  king.  We 
noted  the  same  thing  in  his  dealing  with  Amnon  and  Absa- 
lom. Hence  we  can  not  suppose  that  when  he  was  on  his 
death-bed,  subdued  by  the  feelings  which  his  conscious  near- 
ness to  the  unseen  world  had  produced  in  him,  he  would  al- 
low himself  to  be  hurried  away  by  a  passion  which  had  nev- 
er moved  him  at  any  single  period  of  his  history.  How, 
then,  shall  we  account  for  these  injunctions  ?  I  answer,  by 
regarding  them  as  deeds  of  justice,  tardily  executed,  it  is 
true,  but  yet  executed  at  last  on  public  grounds,  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  nation  and  the  happiness  of  his  son.  He  wish- 
ed Solomon's  reign  to  be  undisturbed ;  and  recognizing  in 
Shimei  a  turbulent  and  unprincipled  man,  who  might  yet 
give  trouble  as  the  leader  or  abettor  of  some  Benjamite  re- 
volt, he  put  his  successor  on  his  guard  against  him.  Then, 
in  regard  to  Joab,  we  must  remember  that  all  through  the 
old  economy  the  principle  is  maintained  that  blood  unright- 
eously shed  cries  to  God  for  vengeance ;  and  it  is  every- 
where implied  that  if  he  who  shed  it  should  go  unpunished, 
the  slight  thus  done  to  justice  would  certainly  bring  down 


420  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

calamity  on  the  land.  Thus,  in  the  book  of  the  law,  in  con- 
nection with  the  enactment  providing  cities  of  refuge  for  the 
accidental  man-slayer,  we  have  this  injunction  :  "  But  if  anv 
man  hate  his  neighbor,  and  lie  in  wait  for  him,  and  rise  up 
against  him,  and  smite  him  mortally  that  he  die,  and  fleeth 
into  one  of  these  cities:  then  the  elders  of  his  city  shall  send 
and  fetch  him  thence,  and  deliver  him  into  the  hand  of  the 
avenger  of  blood,  that  he  may  die.  Thine  eye  shall  not  pity 
him,  but  thou  shalt  put  away  the  guilt  of  innocent  blood  from 
Israel,  that  it  may  go  well  with  thee."* 

As  an  instructive  commentary  upon  this  portion  of  the  sa- 
cred statute-book,  we  had  before  us  a  few  evenings  ago  the 
fact  that  the  slaughter  of  the  Gibeonites  by  Saul,  which  had 
continued  unatoned  for,  brought  down  upon  the  land,  even 
after  the  lapse  of  more  than  thirty  years,  a  visitation  of  fam- 
ine which  ceased  only  when  seven  of  Saul's  descendants 
had  been  given  up  to  justice.  Hence  we  may  suppose  that 
David  feared  lest  some  similar  judgment  should  come  upon 
the  people  in  Solomon's  time  for  the  unpunished  crimes  of 
Joab,  and  that  he  sought,  by  laying  these  injunctions  upon 
his  son,  to  avert  such  a  calamity  from  the  nation.  Besides, 
though  at  certain  critical  times  in  his  history  he  had  been 
greatly  indebted  to  Joab,  yet  he  had  been  galled  and  irri- 
tated by  his  haughty  and  overbearing  character,  and  may 
have  wished  that  Solomon  should  be  delivered  from  a  yoke 
under  which  he  had  been  fretted  and  borne  down  for  many 
years.  With  our  New  Testament  ideas,  indeed,  we  almost 
instinctively  recoil  from  these  injunctions,  given  on  his  death- 
bed by  David  to  Solomon,  but  we  must  place  ourselves,  like 
him,  under  the  Mosaic  law,  with  the  old  ideas  of  blood-re- 
venge which  then  prevailed,  and  which  that  law  sought  to 
regulate  rather  than  to  abolish,  before  we  presume  to  sit  in 

*  Deuteronomy  xix.,  11-13. 


LAST  WORDS.  421 

judgment  upon  them.  Now,  when  we  thus  regard  them,  we 
can  not  condemn  David  so  confidently  as  many  have  done. 
On  the  contrary,  we  see,  in  his  anxiety  about  the  disposal  of 
these  malefactors,  evidence  of  a  quickening  of  his  conscience 
as  a  magistrate,  which  was  very  natural  at  the  approach  of 
death,  while  at  the  same  time  it  indicates  the  intensity  of 
his  desire  to  relieve  Solomon  from  the  evil  consequences 
that  would  else  have  resulted  from  his  own  failure  in  the 
administration  of  justice.  To  our  thinking,  they  wrong  the 
dying  man  most  shamefully  who  would  impute  to  personal 
malice  or  cruel  revenge  recommendations  which  were  given 
solely  on  public  and  judicial  grounds  by  one  who  felt  him- 
self already  face  to  face  with  his  own  final  account.  .  Nor 
can  I  forbear  to  add,  that  the  disposition  which  cavils  at 
these  injunctions  thus  understood,  is  of  a  piece  with  the 
mawkish  sentimentalism  of  these  times,  which  turns  every 
criminal  into  a  simple  object  of  benevolence,  when  it  does 
not  exalt  him  into  a  hero,  and  of  which  we  see  the  results 
to-day,  when  justice  is  lying  torn  and  bleeding  in  our  streets  ; 
when  human  life,  instead  of  being  the  most  sacred  object  of 
protection  by  society,  is  almost  as  little  regarded  among  us 
as  that  of  the  brutes  that  perish ;  and  when  the  perpetrators 
of  the  most  palpable  murders  contrive,  by  a  thousand  plausi- 
ble pretexts,  to  elude  that  penalty  which  the  law  has  annexed 
to  their  crime.  Let  us  not  forget  that  the  God  of  Israel  is 
the  God  of  all  nations,  and  that  his  providence  is  still  regu- 
lated by  the  principles  on  which  he  governed  the  world  in 
the  days  of  David.  Alas  !  what  evils  may  be  even  now  im- 
pending over  us,  because  of  the  indifference  to  justice  which 
has  characterized  so  much  of  our  recent  so-called  judicial 
procedure  !  We  have  had  all  manner  of  consideration  and 
pity  shown  to  the  criminals;  it  might  be  well  now  if  a  little 
of  both  were  manifested  to  the  community  at  large. 

It  only  now  remains,  before  we  come  to  the  last  scene  of 


422  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

this  eventful  history,  that  we  glance  a  little  at  the  interest- 
ing oracle  which  is  introduced  by  the  sacred  historian  in  the 
twenty-third  chapter  of  2  Samuel  with  this  phrase  :  "  Now 
these  be  the  last  words  of  David."  It  is  not  necessary  to 
believe  that  the  portion  of  sacred  poetry  to  which  this  state- 
ment is  prefixed  was  the  very  latest  utterance  of  the  Psalm- 
ist before  he  closed  his  eyes  in  death.  The  meaning  of  the 
clause  may  be  that  the  prediction  which  it  introduces  was 
the  last  formal  communication  made  by  David  in  the  char- 
acter of  an  inspired  prophet,  or  it  may  simply  indicate  that 
the  oracle  belongs  to  the  last  illness  of  the  king ;  and  so, 
over  and  above  its  divine  inspiration,  it  may  serve  to  show 
the  current  of  his  thoughts  and  the  support  of  his  heart,  as 
he  was  passing  through  the  valley  of  shadow.  In  any  case, 
it  has  a  character  which  is  quite  unique  among  the  produc- 
tions of  David.  It  is  not  a  Psalm  in  which  we  have  the  ele- 
ment of  praise  commingled  with  that  of  prediction,  neither 
is  it  a  plain  declaration  of  David's  spiritual  experience  in 
the  near  prospect  of  death ;  but  it  is  a  prophecy,  or  oracle, . 
commencing  with  a  description  of  the  prophet  and  an  asser- 
tion of  his  inspiration,  and  then  proceeding  to  delineate  the 
nature  of  Messiah's  dominion,  with  its  twofold  effect  of  bless- 
ing on  the  obedient  and  lowly,  and  punishment  on  the  rebell- 
ious and  proud.  Then,  between  the  indication  of  the  bless- 
ing and  the  curse,  we  have  a  kind  of  parenthetic  reference 
to  David's  royal  dynasty,  the  perpetuity  of  which,  as  secured 
in  the  Messiah,  he  declares  to  be  all  his  salvation  and  all 
his  desire. 

Let  us  attend  to  each  of  these  portions  of  this  interesting 
passage.  There  is,  first,  the  description  of  the  prophet  him- 
self. This  is  usual  in  the  introduction  of  important  predic- 
tions. We  find  it,  for  example,  in  the  opening  verses  of  the 
books  of  Isaiah,  Amos,  and  Jeremiah,  and,  in  particular,  we 
have  a  strain  very  similar  to  that  before  us  in  the  commence- 


LAST  WORDS.  423 

ment  of  Balaam's  well-known  prophecy.  In  the  passage  un- 
der consideration,  David  is  called  by  his  simple  patronymic, 
the  son  of  Jesse  ;  and  with  special  allusion  to  the  fact  that  he 
was  elevated  from  the  lowly  life  of  a  shepherd  to  the  lofty 
glory  of  a  throne,  he  is  styled  "  the  man  who  was  raised  up 
on  high."  Nor  is  this  all :  he  is  denominated  "  the  anointed 
of  the  God  of  Jacob,"  in  recognition  of  his  having  been  des- 
ignated by  prophetic  anointing  for  the  royal  office.  Fur- 
thermore, he  is  described  as  "the  sweet  Psalmist  of  Israel." 
Some  have  attempted  to  render  the  original  phrase  here  by 
the  words,  "  sweet  in  the  Psalms  of  Israel ;"  or,  as  Bunsen 
has  translated  them,  "  the  darling  of  the  songs  of  Israel ;" 
and  they  vindicate  their  view  by  referring  to  the  victory  ode 
which  was  sung  concerning  him  after  his  defeat  of  the  giant, 
and  to  other  similar  songs.  But  I  rather  regard  the  phrase, 
"  the  sweet  Psalmist  of  Israel,"  as  a  title  which,  even  in  his 
lifetime,  David  had  received,  as  the  author  of  those  sacred 
hymns  which  form  so  large  a  portion  of  the  book  of  Psalms  ; 
and  I  am  confident  that  its  appropriateness  will  be  thorough- 
ly indorsed  by  the  spiritually-minded  even  of  this  latest  gen- 
eration; for  the  shepherd-king  of  Israel,  when  he  sang  out  of 
his  own  heart,  produced  lyrics  which  have  found  their  way 
to  the  heart  of  humanity  itself,  and  which  have  been  in  all 
ages,  as  they  are  in  this,  the  chosen  vehicle  through  which 
devout  spirits  have  sent  alike  their  joys  and  their  sorrows, 
their  penitence  and  their  praise,  their  thanksgivings  and 
their  petitions  up  to  God.  David  seems,  indeed,  to  have 
been  led  through  manifold  trials  and  experiences,  and  to 
have  been  divinely  inspired  to  sing  his  feelings  in  them  all, 
just  that  he  might  be  a  leader  of  psalmody  to  God's  people 
in  every  age,  and  in  all  circumstances ;  and  so  it  is  that  the 
pious  heart  even  now  finds  the  emotions  which  are  vainly 
struggling  within  it  for  expression  already  uttered  in  the 
book  of  Psalms,  and  that,  too,  to  the  music  of  a  harp  so 


424  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

sweet  that  as  one  listens  he  seems  to  hear  for  the  time  the 
melody  of  heaven,  and  all  sorrow  and  anxiety  are  charmed 
away.  His  joyful  odes  bear  aloft  our  praises,  as  on  eagles' 
wings,  to  heights  to  which  alone  -and  without  his  assistance 
we  had  never  soared ;  his  Psalms  of  penitence  and  sadness 
give  us  minor  strains  wherewith  to  humble  ourselves  before 
the  Lord  ;  while  in  the  sweet  simplicity  of  such  pastoral 
hymns  as  "The  Lord  is  my  shepherd"  we  have  a  beauty 
that  never  grows  dim,  a  tenderness  that  never  fails  to  touch 
the  heart,  and  a  music  that  never  palls  upon  the  ear.  Truly, 
therefore,  is  he  styled  "the  sweet  psalmist  of  Israel." 

The  next  verse  sets  before  us  his  divine  inspiration  :  "  The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  spake  by  me,  and  his  word  was  in  my 
tongue.  The  God  of  Israel  said,  the  Rock  of  Israel  spake 
to  me."  All  his  songs,  as  gathered  together  in  the  book 
with  which  his  name  is  associated,  were  divinely  inspired  ; 
but  here,  as  it  seems  to  me,  the  reference  is  specially  to  the 
oracle  which  he  is  about  to  utter,  and  to  which  he  wishes 
that  particular  importance  should  be  attached.  This  was  to 
be  his  dying  prophecy,  like  that  given  by  Jacob  to  his  sons, 
or  those  given  by  Moses  and  Joshua  to  the  tribes ;  and  he 
desired  that  special  attention  should  be  given  to  it  as  being 
not  his  only,  but  the  utterance  of  the  Divine  Spirit  through 
him.  How  the  Spirit  spake  by  him  we  are  not  informed ; 
but  the  assertion  of  the  union  of  the  divine  and  human  in 
the  utterances  of  the  prophet  is  clearly  and  emphatically 
made.  David  spoke,  and  the  human  style  had  all  the  char- 
acteristics of  his  usual  productions ;  for  the  Spirit  used  not 
the  vocal  organs  of  the  prophet  alone,  but  his  intellectual 
and  emotional  powers  as  well.  But  God  spoke  by  David, 
and  that  which  he  uttered  was  the  truth,  infallible  as  he  who 
gave  it.  The  style  was  natural  and  human,  the  thought  was 
supernatural  and  .divine;  and  no  part  of  it  would  fall  away 
without  fulfillment.  Indeed,  to  make  this  more  striking  and 


LAST  WORDS. 


425 


impressive,  Jehovah  is  here  styled  "  the  Rock  of  Israel ;"  for 
as  a  rock  is  immovable  in  mid-ocean,  so  God  is  unchange- 
able and  incorruptible ;  and  the  word  which  he  speaks 
through  his  servant  partakes  of  his  own  character,  and  is  a 
part  of  that  Scripture  "which  can  not  be  broken." 

The  oracle  thus  introduced  speaks  first  of  the  character 
of  a  ruler,  whom  we  easily  identify  as  the  Messiah.  It  is, 
indeed,  the  description  of  an  ideal  ruler,  but  the  real  in 
whom  it  is  fulfilled  is  Christ :  "  He  that  ruleth  over  men, 
just  ruling  in  the  fear  of  God."  I  have  read  the  clause 
without  the  italic  supplement  in  our  version,  for  I  take  it  to 
be  not  an  affirmation  of  what  a  ruler  ought  to  be,  but  a  de- 
lineation of  the  sort  of  ruler  the  Messiah  should  be.  It  is 
thus  parallel  to  the  prediction  in  the  72d  Psalm.  "He 
shall  judge  thy  people  with  righteousness,  and  thy  poor  with 
judgment;"  and  to  that  of  Isaiah:  "There  shall  come  forth 
a  rod  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse,  and  a  Branch  shall  grow  out 
of  his  roots.  With  righteousness  shall  he  judge  the  poor, 
and  reprove  with  equity  for  the  meek  of  the  earth :  and  he 
shall  smite  the  earth  with  the  rod  of  his  mouth,  and  with  the 
breath  of  his  lips  shall  he  slay  the  wicked."  Thus  the  ef- 
fect of  his  administration  should  be  different  on  different 
individuals.  The  meek,  the  righteous,  the  poor  would  be 
blessed  ;  but  the  unrighteous,  the  disobedient,  the  proud 
would  be  destroyed.  The  righteous  would  be  blessed.  This 
is  what  is  affirmed  in  the  fourth  verse.  The  sense  of  the 
words,  indeed,  both  in  the  Hebrew  and  in  the  English,  is  ob- 
scure by  reason  both  of  the  brevity  of  the  expression  and 
the  figurative  character  of  the  language  which  is  employed ; 
but  a  slight  alteration  of  the  rendering  brings  out  a  beautiful 
and  appropriate  meaning. 

Kennicott  found  in  an  old  MS.  the  word  Jehovah,  and 
he  gives  the  following  version  of  the  passage :  "And  as  the 
morning  light,  shall  Jehovah  the  sun  arise,  even  an  uncloud- 


426  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

ed  morning,  and  the  verdure  shall  spring  out  of  the  earth  by 
the  warm,  bright  splendor,  after  rain."  Now,  if  this  be  adopt- 
ed as  the  correct  rendering,  it  gives  not  only  an  exquisite  de- 
scription of  the  blessings  flowing  from  the  reign  of  Messiah 
to  his  friends — light  symbolizing  truth  and  gladness,  and  the 
fresh  springing  of  the  grass  after  the  shower  representing 
the  growth  of  holiness  and  peace,  which  is  always  consequent 
upon  the  reception  of  the  Gospel — but  it  also  furnishes  a 
striking  parallel  to  other  prophetic  announcements  concern- 
ing the  Son  of  David.  Thus,  in  Hosea  vi.,  3,  we  read, "  His 
going  forth  is  prepared  as  the  morning ;  and  he  shall  come  unto 
us  as  the  rain,  as  the  latter  and  former  rain  unto  the  earth." 
And  in  Malachi  iv.,  2,  it  is  said, "  The  Sun  of  righteousness 
shall  arise  with  healing  in  his  wings."  So  again,  in  the  J2d 
Psalm,  the  date  of  which,  as  we  have  seen,  was  near  to  the 
time  at  which  the  oracle  before  us  was  given,  we  read, "  He 
shall  come  down  like  rain  upon  the  mown  grass :  as  showers 
that  water  the  earth."  The  full  force  of  such  a  figure,  how- 
ever, can  be  realized  only  when  we  take  into  account  the 
physical  phenomena  of  the  land  of  Palestine,  in  which,  as 
Jameson  has  said,*  "Little  patches  of  grass  are  seen  rapid- 
ly springing  up  after  rain  ;  and  even  where  the  ground  has 
been  long  parched  and  bare,  within  a  few  days  or  hours  after 
the  enriching  showers  begin  to  fall,  the  face  of  the  earth  is 
so  renewed  that  it  is  covered  over  with  a  pure  fresh  mantle 
of  green."  Now,  could  any  thing  more  appropriately  illus- 
trate the  effects  which  are  everywhere  produced  when  the 
Gospel  has  been  received  and  obeyed  ?  Great  joy  fills  the 
hearts  of  those  who,  owning  Jesus  as  their  Lord,  receive  for- 
giveness at  his  hands,  and  forthwith  they  begin  to  grow  in 
all  that  is  beautiful,  and  good,  and  godlike,  so  that  (to  bor- 

*  "  Commentary,  Critical,  Experimental,  and  Practical,  on  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,"  by  Jameson,  Fausset,  and  Brown,  vol.  ii.,  p.  282. 


LAST  WORDS.  427 

row  again  from  the  726.  Psalm)  the  handful  of  corn  sown 
even  upon  the  barren  mountain  top  springs  up,  and  its  fruit 
shakes  like  Lebanon,  while  "  they  of  the  city  flourish  like 
grass  of  the  earth."  Therefore,  they  are  the  greatest  bene- 
factors of  the  race  who  labor  in  the  missionary  enterprise ;  and 
the  world  shall  reach  its  highest  excellence  when  all  the  na- 
tions of  men  shall  own  the  sceptre  of  the  Prince  of  Peace. 

But  while  the  results  of  Messiah's  administration  are  thus 
beneficent  to  those  who  willingly  submit  themselves  to  him, 
they  are  fraught  with  evil  to  those  who  refuse  to  own  his 
sway ;  for  thus  are  his  enemies  spoken  of  in  this  prediction 
(verses  6  and  7),  "  But  the  sons  of  Belial  shall  be  all  of  them 
as  thorns  thrust  away,  because  they  can  not  be  taken  with 
hands  :  but  the  man  that  shall  touch  them  must  be  fenced 
with  iron  and  the  staff  of  a  spear ;  and  they  shall  be  utterly 
burned  with  fire  in  the  same  place."  These  words,  at  first 
sight,  seem  obscure ;  but  when  you  read  them  properly,  they 
become  perfectly  clear.  Thus,  let  the  last  clause  of  the  sixth 
verse  and  the  first  of  the  seventh  be  thrown  into  a  paren- 
thesis, and  let  the  first  part  of  the  sixth  verse  be  connected 
with  the  last  of  the  seventh,  and  we  have  this  result:  "But 
the  sons  of  Belial,  all  of  them,  are  as  thorns  to  be  thrust  out, 
and  to  be  utterly  burned  with  fire  in  the  place  ;  for  they  can 
not  be  taken  by  the  hand,  and  the  man  who  shall  touch  them 
must  be  armed  with  an  axe,  and  with  the  shaft  of  a  spear." 
The  enemies  of  Christ  are  thus  compared  to  the  strong, 
prickly  thorns  peculiar  to  Palestine,  whose  stalks  twine  to- 
gether, and  whose  spines,  pointing  in  every  direction,  are  so 
troublesome  that  they  can  not  be  touched  by  the  hand  without 
danger,  but  must  be  cut  down  and  removed  by  long-handed 
instruments  of  iron.  We  have  here,  therefore,  a  description 
parallel  to  that  given  by  the  author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  He- 
brews (chap,  vi.,  7,  8) :  "  The  earth  which  drinketh  in  the 
rain  that  cometh  oft  upon  it,  and  bringeth  forth  herbs  meet 


428  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

for  them  by  whom  it  is  dressed,  receiveth  blessing  from  God : 
but  that  which  beareth  thorns  and  briers  is  rejected,  and  is 
nigh  unto  cursing ;  whose  end  is  to  be  burned ;"  and  both 
alike  bring  before  us  the  solemn  fact,  that  while  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Gospel  is  the  means  of  blessing  to  those  who 
believe  and  obey  it,  its  rejection  entails  the  greatest  calami- 
ties on  those  who  put  it  from  them.  Christ  has  a  baptism 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  for  his  people,  but  a  baptism  of  fire  for  his 
enemies.  The  wheat  he  shall  gather  into  his  barn,  but  the 
chaff  he  shall  burn  with  fire  unquenchable.  They  who  wel- 
come the  Messiah  with  open  arms,  and  receive  him  into  their 
hearts,  have  every  thing  to  hope  for  from  his  royal  admin- 
istration ;  but  they  who  defiantly  reject  him,  and  refuse  to 
submit  themselves  to  him,  are  courting  their  eternal  de- 
struction. 

Midway  between  these  figurative  descriptions  of  the  bless- 
edness of  those  who  receive  the  Gospel,  and  the  destruction 
of  those  who  reject  it,  we  have  a  touching  verse,  making  ref- 
erence to  David's  personal  feelings  in  the  case :  "  Although 
my  house  be  not  so  with  God ;  yet  he  hath  made  with  me  an 
everlasting  covenant,  ordered  in  all  things,  and  sure  :  for  this 
is  all  my  salvation,  and  all  my  desire,  although  he  make  it 
hot  to  grow."  The  common  interpretation  of  these  words 
is,  that  David  is  alluding  to  the  sad  events  in  his  own  per- 
sonal and  domestic  history,  and  declaring  that,  in  spite  of 
these,  he  trusted  in  God's  well-ordered  and  everlasting  cov- 
enant. That  was  all  his  salvation  and  desire,  though  in 
himself  and  in  his  sons  it  had  not  been  made  to  grow. 
Now  it  is  always  painful  to  disturb  an  old  and,  it  may  be, 
hallowed  explanation  of  such  a  passage  as  this  ;  but  the  ob- 
jections to  this  understanding  of  David's  words  are  so  seri- 
ous, that  I  fear  we  must  conclusively  give  it  up ;  for  not  only 
does  it  require  us  to  give  to  one  Hebrew  word,  which  occurs 
four  times  in  the  verse,  four  different  meanings,  but  it  takes 


LAST  WORDS.  429 

the  term  house  in  its  limited  sense  of  family  circle;  whereas 
here,  as  in  all  the  Messianic  prophecies  connected  with  Da- 
vid, it  means  dynasty  or  regal  lineage.  The  best  expositors, 
therefore,  propose  to  read  it  thus,  or  somehow  after  this  fash- 
ion :  "  For  is  not  my  house  so  with  God  ?  for  he  hath  made 
with  me  an  everlasting  covenant,  ordered  in  all  things  and 
sure  ;  for  this  is  all  my  salvation  and  all  my  desire ;  for  will 
he  not  make  it  [that  is,  my  house]  to  grow  ?"  Observe,  Da- 
vid has  been  describing  the  character  of  a  ruler ;  and  redu- 
plicating on  that  description,  he  in  effect  says,  "Is  it  not  to 
be  the  distinctive  feature  of  my  lineage  that  it  shall  rule  in 
justice,  and  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord?"  a  feature  which  came 
out  not  only  in  Solomon,  but  also  in  Asa,  Jehoshaphat,  Hez- 
ekiah,  Josiah,  and  others,  and  especially  and  pre-eminently 
in  Jesus  Christ,  in  whom  this  prophecy  culminated,  and  by 
whom  it  was  thoroughly  fulfilled.  Nay,  was  it  not  assured 
to  David  by  God's  everlasting  covenant  that  this  should  be 
the  character  of  his  house,  and  peculiarly  of  Him  who  was 
its  greatest  and  most  illustrious  member  ?  In  this,  therefore, 
he  would  rest.  This  was  his  salvation,  this  was  his  desire ; 
for  beyond  all  doubt  God  would  make  it  to  grow.  Thus,  as 
the  aged  prophet  sings  his  death-song  he  sees  Messiah's  glo- 
ry afar  off,  and  is  glad.  He  rests  in  the  promise  of  the  com- 
ing ruler.  He  looks  forward  in  death  to  the  same  Saviour- 
King  to  whom  now  we  look  backward ;  and  so,  stretching 
through  long  centuries  on  either  side,  our  hands  meet  and 
touch  his,  as  together  we  take  hold  of  the  same  benign  Re- 
deemer. Nor  is  this  a  mere  fanciful  interpretation,  resting 
upon  no  foundation  ;  for  what  says  Peter  in  reference  to  the 
1 6th  Psalm?  "Therefore  being  a  prophet,  and  knowing  that 
God  had  sworn  with  an  oath  to  him,  that  of  the  fruit  of  his 
loins,  according  to  the  flesh,  he  would  raise  up  Christ  to  sit 
on  his  throne ;  David,  seeing  this  before,  spake  of  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ,  that  his  soul  was  not  left  in  Hades,  neither 


430  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

his  flesh  did  see  corruption."*  David,  then,  Peter  being  wit- 
ness, had  a  glimpse  of  Messiah's  coming,  and  on  that  com- 
ing he  rested  all  his  hope.  It  was  his  salvation  and  desire. 
For  years  he  had  lived  on  the  prophecy  and  promise  which 
God  gave  to  him  by  the  mouth  of  Nathan  ;  and  now,  as  he 
lay  dying,  he  pillowed  his  head  upon  God's  covenant  that 
the  great  righteous  Ruler  would  be  sure  to  come.  This  was 
his  hope  in  death ;  for  now  we  take  our  leave  of  him  whose 
checkered  history  we  have  followed  with  such  growing  in- 
terest during  these  by-gone  months.  "  David  slept  with  his 
fathers."  Slept ;  for  thus  early  was  the  good  man's  death 
accounted  a  sleep,  not  only  as  bringing  rest  after  "  life's  fit- 
ful fever,"  but  also  as  predicting  an  awakening  at  the  resur- 
rection-day. "He  was  buried  in  the  city  of  David,"  and 
doubtless,  as  in  the  case  of  Samuel,  all  Israel  would  mourn 
beside  his  grave,  which  in  after-years  became  the  centre  of 
the  catacombs  wherein  were  contained  the  sepulchres  of  the 
kings  of  Judah.  Even  so  late  as  the  Day  of  Pentecost  Da- 
vid's sepulchre  was  distinguishable,  but  now  it  is  unknown. 
Yet  it  matters  not  where  his  tomb  is ;  here  is  his  monument 
in  the  history  which  we  have  been  studying,  and  in  the  lega- 
cy of  sacred  song  which  he  has  left  to  the  Church  of  every 
age,  and  yonder,  on  high,  is  his  record.  Adieu  !  thou  sweet 
Psalmist ;  thou  royal  prophet ;  thou  tempted,  tried,  stricken, 
erring,  yet  in  the  main,  true-hearted  man  of  God ;  we  shall 
know  thee  better  when  we  meet  above,  now  that  we  have 
traced  thy  history  so  minutely  here.  Now  is  thy  wish  grati- 
fied, now  is  thy  prayer  answered,  for  now  beholdest  thou  "  the 
beauty  of  the  Lord,"  and  inquires!  "  in  his  Temple."  May 
God  make  us  meet  to  be  there  eternally  thy  fellow  -  wor- 
shipers ! 

I  have  time  only  for  two  practical  reflections,  which  I 

*Acts  ii.,  30,  31. 


LAST  WORDS.  431 

can  do  little  more  than  name.  We  must  have  felt,  all  through 
our  study  of  this  great  man's  life,  how  honest  the  biographies 
of  the  Bible  are.  Here  is  no  hiding  of  imperfections,  no 
cloaking  of  sins,  no  palliating  or  excusing  of  iniquity.  Da- 
vid is  spoken  of  as  he  was.;  and  we  see  him  to  have  been  a 
man  of  like  passions  with  ourselves,  very  far  from  being 
perfect,  sorely  marked,  indeed,  by  sin,  yet  in  the  main  a  man 
of  God.  Though  often  falling  into  errors,  he  never  made 
his  rest  in  sin ;  frequently  overtaken  in  a  fault,  yet  not  de- 
lighting in  iniquity,  he  proved  that  the  polarity  of  his  soul 
was  heavenward.  Who  so  bitterly  bewailed  his  sins  as  he 
did  himself?  Who  so  broken-hearted  for  his  iniquities  as  he 
was  himself?  If  his  sins  were  exceptional,  so  was  his  repent- 
ance ;  and  He  on  whom  he  rested  would  not  cast  him  out. 
The  voyage  of  his  life  had  been  long  and  perilous,  and  at 
one  time  such  a  storm  overtook  him  that  he  had  well-nigh 
gone  down ;  but  after  many  turnings  and  tackings,  he  bore 
up  anew  and  steered  right  onward ;  and  now  he  enters  the 
harbor — not,  indeed,  with  all  sails  set,  and  banners  flying, 
and  the  firing  of  salutes,  and  the  sound  of  merry  music,  but 
battered  and  weather-beaten  ;  the  canvas  torn  and  the  masts 
broken,  and  with  every  evidence  of  having  passed  through  a 
fearful  gale.  Yet  he  enters  the  harbor,  and  that  is  a  great 
thing ;  let  the  Judge  of  all  determine  the  measure  of  his 
blame.  To  be  blamed  he  certainly  was ;  and  as  we  see  in 
all  this  that  he  was  a  man  like  ourselves,  let  us  remember 
that  there  is  another  life  recorded  here  in  which  there  is  no 
flaw.  Now  if  we  accept  the  honesty  of  the  sacred  biogra- 
pher in  telling  us  of  David's  sins,  shall  we  not  accept  it  also 
when  he  tells  us  of  the  sinlessness  of  Jesus  ?  and  shall  we 
not  see  in  that  the  evidence  that  he  was  more  than  man? 
From  all  our  imperfections,  let  us  flee  to  his  perfection  ; 
from  all  our  iniquities,  let  us  turn  to  his  spotlessness ;  and 
let  us  be  thankful  that,  amidst  our  agony  in  the  struggle  with 


432  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL. 

self  and  sin,  there  is  One  to  whom  we  can  cling  who  "  was  in 
all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin,"  and  who 
is  a  human  brother  indeed,  but  also  and  especially  a  Divine 
Helper.  The  more  closely  we  keep  to  him,  the  more  se- 
curely shall  we  be  kept  from  falling  into  sin.  It  is  much  to 
get  safely  to  the  land  at  last,  even  though  it  should  be  "  on 
boards,  or  on  broken  pieces  of  the  ship."  But  if  we  give  all 
diligence  to  follow  him,  and  determine  in  all  circumstances 
to  adhere  to  his  commands,  we  shall  have  "  an  entrance  min- 
istered to  us  abundantly  "  into  his  everlasting  kingdom.  It 
is  better  to  be  "  saved,  yet  so  as  by  fire,"  than  not  to  be  saved 
at  ail.  But  oh,  how  much  better  still  it  is  to  be  saved  in  full- 
ness. Be  it  ours,  therefore,  to  aim  after  the  abundant  en- 
trance and  the  glad  "Well  done  !" 

Finally :  we  may  see  here  the  believer's  hope  in  death. 
David  dies  not  in  despair.  He  has  a  firm  hold  of  God's 
covenant.  He  knows  God  will  bring  the  Redeemer  at  the 
appointed  time,  and  in  the  administration  of  the  Messiah- 
King  he  has  his  simple  trust.  Thus  his  experience  in  look- 
ing forward  to  Christ's  day  was  singularly  parallel  to  that 
of  Paul  looking  backward  to  Christ's  work,  and  upward  to 
Christ's  throne,  and  saying,  "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed, 
and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have 
committed  to  him  against  that  day."  Christ,  as  the  great 
deliverer  of  God's  covenant  and  promise,  was  thus  the  com- 
forter alike  of  David  and  of  Paul.  Death  was  easy  to  both, 
for  they  trusted  in  him,  and  death  will  become  gain  to  us 
also,  when  we  live  in  him.  "  It  shall  come  to  pass  that 
at  evening  time  it  shall  be  light."  Thus  it  was  with  Isra- 
el's king,  and  thus  it  shall  be  also  with  us,  if  all  our  salva- 
tion be  in  and  all  our  desire  be  for  him  who  is  the  righteous 
ruler  and  the  atoning  priest  of  his  believing  people.  Years 
ago  I  used  to  travel  on  foot  in  the  winter  mornings  for  five 
miles,  to  teach  in  a  country  school.  I  had  to  set  out  from 


LAST  WORDS.  433 

home  in  the  dark,  and  I  amused  myself  with  marking  the 
brightest  stars,  and  seeing  how  one  by  one  they  faded  into 
day.  There  was  one  that  held  out  always  longest — the  bright 
and  beautiful  planet  Venus — and  I  can  remember  yet  how 
I  used  to  watch  and  watch,  sure  that  I  would  see  it  in  the 
very  act  of  disappearing.  But  I  was  always  disappointed. 
Something  would  attract  my  attention  elsewhere  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  when  I  looked  again  it  was  gone.  So  the  good 
man  at  death  goes  out  of  human  view. 

"  He  sets  as  sets  the  morning-star, 
Which  goes  not  down  behind  the  darkened  west, 
Nor  hides  obscured  amid  the  tempests  of  the  sky, 
But  melts  away  into  the  light  of  heaven." 

May  God  grant  to  us  such  a  glorious  and  peaceful  exodus  ! 
Amen. 


INDEX. 


ABIATHAR  joins  David  in  the  cave  of  Adullam,  103  ;  is  made  priest  at 
Jerusalem,  254 ;  joins  in  the  revolt  of  Adonijah,  400. 

Abigail,  character  of,  157,  159,  160;  meets  David,  160;  marriage  of,  to 
David,  1 6 1. 

Abner  makes  Ishbosheth  king,  191 ;  slays  Asahel,  196  ;  quarrels  with  Ish- 
bosheth,  196  ;  negotiates  with  David,  197  ;  is  slain  by  Joab,  197. 

Absalom,  beauty  of,  299,  317;  causes  the  death  of  Amnon,  and  flees  to 
Geshur,  301 ;  is  recalled  through  Joab's  instrumentality,  302  ;  is  rec- 
onciled to  his  father,  303,  318  ;  rebels  against  David,  304;  is  slain  by 
Joab,  328 ;  lamented  by  David,  331. 

Achish,  king  of  Gath,  receives  David,  100,  174. 

Administration  of  David  :  military,  246 ;  civil,  249 ;  ecclesiastical,  253. 

Adonijah,  revolt  against  David,  399-403. 

Adullam,  cave  of,  described,  102  ;  David's  companions  in,  103. 

Adversity  to  be  expected  at  an  early  stage  of  spiritual  life,  72. 

Ahimaaz  sent  by  Hushai  to  David,  325  ;  brings  to  David  the  news  of  Ab- 
salom's death,  331. 

Ahithophel,  adhesion  of,  to  Absalom,  accounted  for,  308 ;  advice  of,  to 
Absalom,  309,  311,  320,  322  ;  commits  suicide,  323  ;  lessons  from  his 
conduct,  352. 

Alexander,  Rev.  W.  L.,  LL.D.,  quoted  from,  18. 

Amasa,  appointed  to  lead  David's  troops,  348 ;  slain  by  Joab,  348. 

Amnon,  sin  of,  299  ;  terribly  revenged  by  Absalom,  301. 

Anger,  evil  of,  exposed,  165. 

Anointing  of  David,  at  Bethlehem,  19 ;  at  Hebron,  193  ;  influence  of,  on 
David,  20. 

Apocryphal  Psalm  on  the  battle  of  Elah,  52. 

Appropriating  faith,  383. 

Ark  of  the  covenant  at  Kirjath-jearim,  215  ;  touched  by  Uzzah,  216 ;  car- 
ried into  the  house  of  Obed-edom,  217  ;  taken  up  to  Jerusalem,  218- 
225. 

BARZILLAI  the  Gileadite  joins  David  at  Mahanaim,  327 ;  declines  the 
royal  invitation  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  343,  354 ;  his  sons  commended  to 
Solomon  by  David,  417. 

Bath-sheba,  her  relation  to  Ahithophel  an  explanation  of  his  rebellion, 
276  ;  appeals  to  David  for  Solomon,  401. 


436  INDEX. 

Beauty,  personal,  right  estimation  of,  3 1 7. 

Benevolence,  relation  of,  to  personal  expenditure,  231. 

Bereaved  parents  admonished  and  comforted,  289-298. 

Bethlehem,  situation  of,  14;  associations  with,  14,  15  ;  influence  of,  upon 

David,  15  ;  anointing  of  David  at,  16. 
Blaikie's  "  David,  King  of  Israel,"  quoted  from  or  referred  to,  33,  34,  245, 

250,  253,  266,  366. 
Blood-revenge,  right  of,  367. 

Blunt's  "  Scriptural  Coincidences"  referred  to,  309,  400. 
Book  of  Jasher,  185. 
"  Bow,"  Song  of  the,  185. 
Browning,  Robert,  lines  of,  on  the  power  of  music,  28. 

CARLYLE,  Thomas,  on  David's  faults,  274;  quotation  by,  from  Richter, 

3i5- 

Carmel,  village  of,  156. 

Chandler's  "Life  of  David"  referred  to,  272,  385. 
Character,  deterioration  of,  illustrated  from  the  case  of  Saul,  188. 
Cherubim,  symbolic  meaning  of,  226. 
Children,  overindulgence  of,  exposed,  315. 
Chimham's  place  at  the  royal  table,  343. 
Christ  at  the  door  of  the  heart,  224. 
Commerce  stimulated  by  David,  252. 
Communion  with  God  a  solace  in  trial,  357. 
Congregational  psalmody,  importance  of,  257. 
Consequences  of  sin  can  not  be  arrested,  107. 
Convict,  letter  of  a,  in  illustration  of  the  power  of  prayer,  127. 
Coronation  of  David  at  Hebron,  199. 
Cush,  the  slanderer,  described,  143. 
Cowper,  Bishop,  on  the  iigth  Psalm,  85. 
Cowper,  William,  on  Friendship,  65  ;  hymn  of,  131. 

DAVID,  personal  appearance  of,  19  ;  anointing  of,  by  Samuel,  19 ;  at  He- 
bron, 191  ;  sent  for  to  the  court  of  Saul,  29  ;  personal  courage  of,  31  ; 
playing  before  Saul,  33  ;  Psalms  of,  their  peculiar  power,  34,  123,  136, 
379 ;  return  of,  to  Bethlehem,  41  ;  sent  to  the  camp  at  Elah,  44 ;  ac- 
cepts the  challenge  of  Goliath,  47 ;  interviews  of,  with  Jonathan,  58, 
94.  96,  124;  friendship  of,  with  Jonathan,  58-63  ;  marriage  of,  to  Mi- 
chal,  69  ;  to  Abigail,  161  ;  to  Maachah,  195  ;  escape  of,  from  Gibeah, 
77  ;  at  Ramah,  84;  at  Nob,  97;  at  Gath,  99,  174;  in  the  cave  of 
Adullam,  102  ;  provides  an  asylum  for  his  parents,  105  ;  in  the  wil- 
derness of  Hareth,  116;  at  Keileh,  119-122;  at  Ziph,  123;  at  En- 
gedi,  133  ;  spares  Saul  magnanimously,  137,  140 ;  contrasted  with 
Rebekah,  146;  applies  to  Nabal  for  supplies,  and  is  refused,  158;  at 
Ziklag,  174,  177  ;  hears  of  the  deaths  of  Saul  and  Jonathan,  and  sings 
the  "  Song  of  the  Bow,"  184-188 ;  contrasted  with  Saul,  188-201 ;  is 


INDEX.  437 

crowned  at  Hebron,  199  ;  chooses  Jerusalem  for  his  capital,  202-204 ; 
builds  for  himself  a  cedar  palace,  210;  defeats  the  Philistines  twice 
at  Rephaim,  212,  213  ;  brings  up  the  ark  to  Jerusalem,  216  ;  returns 
to  bless  his  house,  228 ;  desires  to  build  a  temple,  but  is  prevented 
by  Nathan,  230 ;  deals  kindly  with  Mephibosheth,  241 ;  administra- 
tion of,  244-263  ;  victories  of,  259 ;  great  transgression  of,"2l32n-peTiT- 
teiice  of,  270-275;  bereavement  of,  284;  resignation  of,  287;  flees 
from  Jerusalem  before  Absalom,  309  ;  at  Mahanaim,  326 ;  laments 
over  the  death  of  Absalom,  331 ;  returns  to  Jerusalem,  341 ;  is  unjust 
to  Mephibosheth,  346 ;  suppresses  the  revolt  of  Sheba,  348 ;  gives  up 
seven  of  Saul's  family  to  the  Gibeonites,  368 ;  numbers  the  people, 
371  ;  buys  the  threshing-floor  of  Araunah,  373  ;  gives  orders  for  the 
proclamation  of  Solomon,  403  ;  gives  a  last  charge  to  Solomon,  415  ; 
last  words  of,  422-430  ;  death  of,  430. 

Deception,  sin  of,  exposed,  87-89. 

Despair,  the  forerunner  of  aggravated  sin,  106,  172-174. 

Divine  holiness,  majesty  of  the,  225. 

Divine  protection  given  in  many  ways  to  the  good  man,  86,  382. 

Doeg  the  Edomite  a  witness  of  David's  deception  at  Nob,  98 ;  accuses 
David  and  Ahimelech  to  Saul,  104 ;  slays  the  priests  at  Nob,  105. 

Domestic  comfort  of  the  people  promoted  by  David,  252.  - 

Doxology  sung  by  cotton  operatives  at  Staley bridge,  396. 

ECCLESIASTICAL  arrangements  made  by  David,  256. 

Education  fostered  by  David,  250. 

Edwards's  "  Personal  Narrative  of  the  Indian  Mutiny  "  referred  to,  136. 

Elah,  valley  of,  described,  43  ;  battle  of,  48;  lessons  from,  53-57. 

Eliab  rejected  by  the  Lord  as  king,  17 ;  rudeness  of,  to  David,  46. 

Elisha,  effect  of  music  on,  28. 

Endor,  situation  of,  180 ;  witch  of,  visited  by  Saul,  180 ;  questions  regard- 
ing her  agency  in  Samuel's  appearance,  181-183. 

En-gedi,  strongholds  of,  described,  133. 

Esdraelon,  vale  of,  with  its  branches,  described,  178. 

Evil  spirit  from  the  Lord  troubling  Saul,  25  ;  soothed  by  David's  music, 
33  ;  but  only  for  a  time,  39  ;  Christ  the  true  exerciser  of,  40. 

Ewald's  description  of  the  parallelism  of  Hebrew  poetry,  134 ;  his  view 
concerning  David's  "  worthies,"  247. 

Expiation  for  sin,  necessity  of,  376. 

Ezel,  stone  of,  94,  96. 

FAIRBAIRN'S  "  Imperial  Bible  Dictionary  "  quoted  from,  42. 

Faith,  lesson  of,  from  David's  conflict  with  Goliath,  55  ;  produces  humil- 
ity, gratitude,  and  prayer,  239 ;  loss  of,  is  the  source  of  greater  sin, 
106,  172-174. 

Family  worship  enforced,  228. 

Famine,  visitation  of  the  land  by,  360. 


438  INDEX. 

Faraday,  Michael,  an  example  of  the  profitable  employment  of  leisure 

time,  38. 

Farinelli's  music,  power  of,  over  Philip  V.,  28. 

Free  agency  of  man  not  interfered  with  by  the  purposes  of  God,  35,  331. 
Friends,  choice  of,  63-65. 

Froude's  "  History  of  England  "  referred  to,  89,  251. 
Lectures  referred  to,  109. 

GAD  joins  David  in  the  cave  of  Adullam,  103. 

Gath,  departure  of  David  to,  99. 

Gerhardt,  Paul,  hymns  of,  131,  288. 

Gibeonites  :  their  history,  364 ;  slain  by  Saul,  366 ;  Saul's  seven  descend- 
ants given  to,  368. 

Gilboa,  battle  of,  184. 

"  Gloaming  of  Life,"  by  Wallace,  referred  to,  335. 

God's  eternity  a  source  of  comfort  to  the  saint,  394. 

faithfulness  tested  by  David's  life,  390 ;  trust  in,  enforced,  397. 

gentleness,  power  of,  391. 

long-suffering  with  sinners,  90. 

moral  government,  carried  on  in  harmony  with  natural  law,  360 ; 

retributive  in  its  character,  386. 

protection  of  his  people,  86,  382. 

reception  of  a  sinner  contrasted  with  David's  reception  of  Absa- 


lom, 3 17. 

Goliath  of  Gath,  height  of,  45  ;  armor  of,  45 ;  challenge,  the  army  of  Is- 
rael, 46 ;  encountered  and  slain  by  David,  47  ;  sword  of,  given  to  Da- 
vid by  Ahimelech,  97. 

Guthrie,  Rev.  John,  "  Sacred  Lyrics,"  quoted  from,  221. 

Guthrie,  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas,  quoted  from,  290. 

HACHILAH,  David  at,  140. 

Happiness,  how  to  obtain,  71 ;  compared  to  sleep,  71,  72. 

Hebron,  192. 

Holiness  of  God,  majesty  of  the,  225. 

Homer's  heroes  referred  to  as  illustrating  points  in  the  narrative,  48,  59. 

Honesty  of  Scriptural  biographies,  277,  341. 

Honors  in  Christ's  kingdom,  how  distributed,  262. 

Hume,  Sir  Patrick,  sustained  by  David's  Psalms,  136. 

Humility,  lesson  of,  from  David's  bearing  at  Elah,  57. 

Hushai  sent  to  Jerusalem  to  defeat  Ahithophel,  311. 

"I  HAVE  sinned  !"  how  differently  uttered  by  different  men,  150. 

Indiscriminate  indulgence  of  children  reproved,  399. 

Infant  salvation,  arguments  in  support  of,  292-294;  consolation  from, 

294 ;  appeals  from,  297. 
suffering  and  death,  284,  285,  289 ;  solace  under,  291. 


INDEX.  439 

Imprecatory  Psalms,  351. 

Ishbosheth  made  king  by  Abner,  191 ;  war  between  David  and,  196; 
quarrels  with  Abner,  197  ;  is  slain  by  his  servants,  199. 

JABESH-GILEAD,  relieved  by  Saul,  10 ;  men  of,  take  the  bodies  of  Saul 
and  his  sons  from  the  battle-field,  187;  David  sends  a  message  of 
thanks  to,  194. 

Jacox,  Francis,  "  Scripture  Texts  Illustrated,"  quotation  from,  28. 

Jasher,  book  of,  185. 

Jesse,  lineage  of,  17;  children  of,  18;  character  of,  18;  sends  David  to 
Elah  with  supplies,  45  ;  sent  to  Moab  by  David  for  safety,  105. 

Joab  commands  David's  army  against  Abner,  195 ;  treacherously  slays 
Abner,  197  ;  contrives  to  procure  Absalom's  recall  to  Jerusalem,  302  ; 
slays  Absalom,  329 ;  upbraids  David  for  immoderate  grief  over  Ab- 
salom, 339 ;  slays  Amasa,  348 ;  suppresses  the  revolt  of  Sheba,  349 ; 
David  charges  Solomon  concerning,  417. 

Jonathan,  first  victory  of,  43  }  interview  of,  with  David  after  the  battle  of 
Elah,  58,  59 ;  friendship  with  David,  59-63  ;  intercession  of,  with  Saul 
for  David,  75,  76 ;  interview  with  David  at  the  stone  Ezel,  94 ;  in  the 
wood  of  Ziph,  124;  death  of,  at  Gilboa,  184;  David's  lament  over, 
185- 

Jonathan  and  Ahimaaz  sent  by  Hushai  to  David,  325. 

Judah,  wilderness  of,  1 16. 

Judges  appointed  by  David,  249. 

"  KEIL  on  i  Samuel,"  quoted  from  or  referred  to,  45,  51,  204,  233,  234. 
Keilah,  rescue  of,  by  David,  120;  perfidy  of  the  citizens  of,  121. 
Kingdom  of  David  :  its  similarity  and  dissimilarity  to  that  of  Christ,  208, 

209, 262. 

Kingsley,  Charles,  quotation  from,  397. 
Kitto's  "  Cyclopaedia,"  quoted  from  or  referred  to,  44,  255. 
"Daily  Bible  Illustrations,"  quoted  from  or  referred  10,51,97, 

223,  234,  236,  277,  366. 
Knighthood,  order  of,  instituted  by  David,  247. 

LEISURE  hours,  importance  of,  36 ;  reasons  for  the  improvement  of,  36-38. 
Letter  of  a  convict,  illustrating  the  mode  in  which  God  answers  prayer, 

127. 
Levites  the  offerers  of  the  service  of  song,  218 ;  divided  into  courses  for 

the  musical  service,  257. 

Liberality  of  the  people' for  the  building  of  the  Temple,  405. 
Little  things  more  dangerous  to  a  believer's  life  than  great  ones,  165. 
Logan's  "  Words  of  Comfort  for  Parents  bereaved  of  Little  Children," 

referred  to,  298. 

Long-suffering  of  God  with  sinners,  89. 
Luther's  version  of  the  46th  Psalm,  130. 


440  INDEX. 

MACHIR  of  Lo-debar  joins  David,  327. 

M'Leod,  Dr.  Norman,  lines  from,  74. 

Madness  feigned  by  David  at  Gath,  100. 

Mahanaim,  arrival  of  David  at,  326 ;  battle  of,  328. 

Marriage,  Christian  law  of,  166. 

Meekness,  lesson  of,  from  the  bearing  of  David  to  Eliab,  55  ;  from  the 
conduct  of  Mephibosheth,  356. 

Mephibosheth,  kindly  treated  by  David,  241  ;  grief  of,  at  David's  depart- 
ure from  Jerusalem,  343  ;  perfidy  of  Ziba  to,  312, 344 ;  faithfulness  of, 
to  David,  and  its  poor  requital,  344-346. 

Michal,  marriage  of,  to  David,  69 ;  device  of,  to  save  David's  life,  77 ; 
images  of,  78-80 ;  deceit  of,  87-89 ;  punishment  of,  by  David,  224-225. 

Miller,  Hugh,  an  instance  of  the  profitable  employment  of  leisure  time,  38. 

Military  organization  formed  by  David,  246. 

Milton,  "  Paradise  Lost"  of,  130;  referred  10,223. 

Montgomery,  James,  lines  from,  33. 

Music,  congregational,  how  to  foster,  257 ;  medicinal  effects  of,  27-29. 

Musical  arrangements  made  by  David,  256. 

NABAL,  character  of,  156  ;  rudeness  of,  to  David,  158 ;  death  of,  161 ;  con- 
trasted with  Samuel,  162. 

Nathan,  message  of,  to  David  in  reference  to  the  Temple,  233  ;  visit  of,  to 
David  after  his  great  transgression,  271 ;  parable  of  the  ewe  lamb,  271 ; 
agency  of,  in  the  defeat  of  Adonijah,  401. 

National  prosperity  intimately  connected  with  the  religious  character  of 
the  people,  260, 413. 

National  sins  punished  by  national  suffering,  365. 

Nee  Sima,  Rev.  Joseph,  incidents  in  his  early  history,  illustrative  of  the 
power  of  prayer,  128. 

Newton,  Isaac,  quoted  from,  127. 

Nob,  David  at,  97 ;  massacre  of  the  priests  at,  105. 

OPPORTUNITY,  importance  of  embracing,  89, 189. 

PARAN,  wilderness  of,  153. 

Parents,  bereaved,  comforted  and  counseled,  292,  297. 

,  care  for,  enforced  on  their  children,  1 10. 

,  lessons  to,  from  Absalom's  rebellion,  316,  333  ;  from  Adonijah's 

revolt,  399. 

Pestilence,  visitation  of,  371. 

Philip  V.  soothed  by  Farinelli's  music,  28. 

Philistines,  description  of,  42 ;  at  Elah,.42;  complain  of  Achish  for  his 
kindness  to  David,  100,  176;  encamp  at  the  well  of  Harod,  178;  vic- 
tory of,  over  Saul,  184 ;  defeated  by  David  at  Rephaim,  212. 

Plumer's  "  Studies  in  the  Book  of  Psalms  "  quoted  from,  85. 

Plumtre,  Professor,  "Biblical  Studies  of,"  referred  to,  309, 311. 


INDEX.  441 

Polygamy,  evils  of,  167,  195,  266, 315. 

Popular  favor,  fickleness  of,  321. 

Prayer  vindicated  from  modern  objections,  126 ;  illustrations  of  answers 

to,  127, 128;  answers  to,  consistent  with  the  uniformity  of  the  laws  of 

nature,  127. 

Priests,  arrangement  of,  into  courses,  255. 
Prophecy  of  Nathan,  interpretation  of,  233-237. 
Psalm,  apocrypha],  after  the  battle  of  Elan,  referred  to,  52. 
Psalms,  passages  in,  probably  referring  to  Elah,  52. 
Psalms,  probable  origin  or  occasion  of:  Psalm  iii.,  314 ;  iv.,  314 ;  v.,  350 ; 

vii.,  142-145;  xii.,  155;  xv., 219;  xviii., 379;  xxiv.,  223;  xxx.,  210; 

xxxi.,  122  ;  xxxii.,  272  ;  xxxiv.,  101 ;  xli.,  350 ;  xlii.,  353  ;  xliii.,  353  ;  li., 

272,  283  ;  liv.,  125  ;  Iv.,  350  ;  Ivi.,  101 ;  Ivii.,  135  ;  fix.,  81  ;  Ixiii.,  117  ; 

Ixviii.,  220  ;  Ixix.,  307,  350 ;  Ixxii.,  407  ;  Ixxxiv.,  353  ;  ci.,  193  ;  ex.,  253  j 

cxix.,84;  cxxxii.,219;  cxxxiii.,2oi ;  cxlii.,  134;  cxliii.,35o;  cxliv.,353. 

,  imprecatory,  referred  to,  351. 

Pythagoras,  use  of  music  by,  27. 

RAHAB  compared  with  Michal,  88. 
Ramah,  David  at,  82. 
Rebekah  contrasted  with  David,  146. 

Rebellion,  Absalom's,  accounted  for,  304 ;  early  success  of  explained,  305 ; 
inauguration  of,3o8 ;  adhesion  of  Ahithophel  to,  308 ;  suppression  of,  329. 
Recognition  of  God's  hand  in  all  things  by  David,  389. 
Religion,  connection  between,  and  national  prosperity,  260,  413. 
Repentance,  true,  distinguished  from  false,  150-153. 
Revolt  of  Sheba,  348. 

of  Adonijah,  399. 

Richter,  quotation  from,  by  Carlyle,  315. 
Rist,  hymns  of,  131. 
Rizpah's  devotion  to  her  son,  369. 
Rock  of  divisions,  or  escapes,  125. 

SACRIFICE,  to  be  sincere,  must  cost  something,  377. 

Samuel,  character  of,  9,  153  ;  commanded  to  anoint  David,  14;  visited  by 
David  at  Ramah,  82-84 ;  death  and  burial  of,  154 ;  contrasted  with 
Nabal,  162-164 ;  appearance  of,  to  Saul  at  Endor,  180-183. 

Saul,  chosen  king  by  lot,  9  ;  character  of,  10,  12 ;  mistakes  of,  10-12  ;  les- 
sons from,  21,  187,  190  ;  troubled  by  an  evil  spirit,  24 ;  sootKSd  by  Da- 
vid's harp,  28 ;  interview  with  David  after  the  battle  of  Elah,  51 ;  jeal- 
ousy of  David,  66 ;  attempts  to  kill  David,  67,  76 ;  "  among  the  proph- 
ets," 87,  91  ;  murders  the  priests  at  Nob,  105  ;  besieges  David,  120, 
124  ;  spared  by  David  in  the  cave,  137, 140 ;  vacillation  of  feeling  in 
reference  to  David  accounted  for,  142;  repentance  only  partial,  150; 
visit  to  Endor,  180 ;  appearance  of  Samuel  to,  and  questions  as  to 
that  incident,  181-183. 

19* 


442  INDEX. 

Saunders's  "  Evenings  with  the  Sacred  Poets  "  referred  to,  130. 

Schools  of  the  prophets  described,  82,  83. 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  reference  to,  89 ;  quotation  from,  99. 

Scriptural  biographies,  honesty  of,  277, 431. 

Selfism,  evil  of,  illustrated  from  the  case  of  Saul,  69 ;  from  that  of  the 
men  of  Keilah,  121. 

Sheba,  revolt  of,  348. 

Shevv-bread  given  to  David  by  Ahimelech,  97. 

Shimei  curses  David,  313;  humbles  himself  before  David,  342 ;  is  de- 
nounced by  David  to  Solomon,  418. 

Shobi,  of  Rabbah,  joins  David,  327. 

Slander,  sin  of,  147 ;  evil  of  listening  to,  149 ;  proper  demeanor  under, 
149, 356. 

Smith's  "Dictionary  of  the  Bible"  quoted  from  or  referred  10,42,  133, 
218,345. 

Solomon,  referred  to  in  Nathan's  prophecy,  235  ;  wisdom  of,  an  incident- 
al proof  of  the  diffusion  of  education  under  David,  251 ;  birth  of,  299 ; 
proclaimed  king,  401 ;  addressed  by  David,  404 ;  receives  from  him 
the  plans  of  the  Temple,  and  materials  for  its  construction,  404. 

Song  born  out  of  trial,  130. 

"  Song  of  the  Bow,"  185. 

Song,  service  of,  in  the  Tabernacle,  218. 

Songs  in  the  night,  358. 

Staleybridgc,  incident  at,  396. 

Stanley,  Dean,  quoted  from  or  referred  to,  13,  52,  134,  136,  193,  245,  247, 

373- 
Spurgeon's  "  Treasury  of  David  "  quoted  from,  387. 

TAMAR,  beauty  of,  299  ;  dishonored  by  Amnon,  300. 

Taylor,  Isaac,  quotation  from,  361. 

Temple  the,  David's  desire  to  build,  230 ;  Nathan's  message  regarding, 
233  ;  a  type  of  the  Christian  Church,  242  ;  lessons  from,  408-414. 

Tennyson,  quotations  from,  64,  168. 

Teraphim,  dissertation  on,  78-80. 

Thankfulness  for  God's  mercies  enforced,  395. 

Thirty  Years'  War  in  Germany  fruitful  in  noble  hymns,  130. 

Tholuck,  Dr.  A.,  on  marriage,  169. 

Thomson's  "The  Land  and  the  Book"  quoted  from  or  referred  10,51, 
102,  133. 

Transgression,  the  great,  of  David,  264 ;  its  precursors,  265  ;  its  aggrava- 
tions, 267  ;  accounted  for,  268 ;  David's  penitence  for,  270 ;  the  con- 
sequences of,  275  ;  lessons  from,  277. 

Trench,  Archbishop,  quoted  from,  26,  130, 183,  187,  188. 

Trial,  fruitfulness  of,  130 ;  tendency  of  David's  soul  under,  144  ;  solace  in, 

357- 
"  Trust  in  God,  and  do  the  right !"  73,  74. 


INDEX. 


443 


URIM  and  Thummim,  presence  of,  in  the  cave  of  Adullam,  112 ;  place  of, 
in  the  education  of  God's  people,  1 14 ;  answers  of,  contrasted  with 
those  of  heathen  oracles,  214. 

Uzzah,  death  of,  216. 

VAINGLORY,  national,  rebuked,  375. 
Voltaire,  effect  of  the  5ist  Psalm  upon,  273. 

WHITTIER,  J.  G.,hymn  of,  131. 

Witch  of  Endor,  Saul's  visit  to,  180;  questions  concerning,  181-183. 

Wordsworth  quoted  from,  118. 

"  Worthies  "  of  David,  247  ;  deeds  of,  248. 

Wright,  Josiah,  M.A.,  quotations  from,  191,  375. 

YOUNG  men  exhorted  on  the  improvement  of  leisure  time,  36 ;  on  leav- 
ing home,  39 ;  on  the  choice  of  friends,  63  ;  on  making  provision  for 
their  parents,  1 10 ;  as  to  the  attainment  of  success,  146,  206 ;  on  mar- 
riage, 166;  from  the  history  and  death  of  Absalom,  336. 

Young's  "  Night  Thoughts  "  referred  to,  223. 

Youth  not  the  only  dangerous  time  of  life,  278. 

ZADOK,  priest  at  Shiloh,  216;  assists  in  suppressing  the  revolt  of  Adoni- 
jah,  401. 

Zibar,  perfidy  of  to  Mephibosheth,  312-314;  reason  for  David's  treat- 
ment of,  347. 

Ziklag  received  by  David  from  Achish,  174;  burned  by  the  Amalekites, 
177. 

Zion,  fortress  of,  taken  from  the  Jebusites,  204. 

Ziph,  123  ;  David's  interview  with  Jonathan  in  the  wood  of,  124;  treach- 
ery of  the  men  of,  124. 


THE  END. 


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PIKE'S  SUB-TROPICAL  RAMBLES.  Sub-Tropical  Rambles  in  the  Lanc'i 
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LIFE  OF  ALFRED  COOKMAN.    The  Life  of  the  Rev.  Alfred  Cookman  ; 

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By  HENRY  B.  RIDGAWAY,  D.D.    With  an  Introduction  by  Bishop  FOSTER, 

LL.D.    Portrait  on  Steel.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 
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$3  50. 
CASTELAR'S  OLD  ROME  AND  NEW  ITALY.    Old  Rome  and  New  Italy. 

By  EMII.IO  CASTELAK.    Translated  by  Mrs.  AKTIIUB  ARNOLD.    12mo, 

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MISS  BEECHER'S  HOUSEKEEPER  AND  HEALTHKEEPER :  Contain- 
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POETS  OF  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY.  The  Poets  r.f  the  Nine- 
teenth Century.  Selected  and  Edited  by  the  Rev.  ROBERT  ABIS  WILL- 
MOTT.  With  English  and  American  Additions,  arranged  by  EVF.KT  A. 
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THE  REVISION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  VERSION  OF  THE  NEW  TESTA- 
MENT. With  an  Introduction  by  the  Rev.  P.  SOUAFF,  D.D.  618  pp., 
Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

This  work  embraces  in  one  volume : 

I.  ON  A  FRESH  REVISION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  NEW  TESTA- 
MENT. By  J.  B.  LIGHTFOOT,  D.D.,  Canon  of  St.  Paul's,  and  Hul- 
sean  Professor  of  Divinity,  Cambridge.  Second  Edition,  Revised. 
196  pp. 

II.  ON  THE  AUTHORIZED  VERSION  OF  THE  NEW  TESTA- 
MENT in  Connection  with  some  Recent  Proposals  for  its  Revision. 
By  RICUABP  CHENEVIX  TEENCU,  D.D.,  Archbishop  of  Dublin.  194  pp. 
III.  CONSIDERATIONS  ON  THE  REVISION  OF  THE  ENGLISH 
VERSION  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT.  By  C.  J.  ELLIOOTT,  D.D., 
Bishop  of  Gloucester  and  Bristol.  178  pp. 

NORDHOFF'S  CALIFORNIA.    California:  For  Health,  Pleasure,  and  Res- 
idence.    A  Book  for  Travelers  and  Settlers.    Illustrated.    Svo,  Paper, 
•      $2  00 ;  Cloth,  $2  50. 

MOTLEY'S  DUTCH  REPUBLIC.  The  Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic.  By 
JOHN  LOTIIROP  MOTLEY,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.  With  a  Portrait  of  William  of 
Orange.  3  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $10  50. 

MOTLEY'S  UNITED  NETHERLANDS.  History  of  the  United  Nether- 
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and  of  the  Origin  and  Destruction  of  the  Spanish  Armadu.  By  JOHN 
LOTUROP  MOTLEY,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.  Portraits.  4  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $14  00. 

NAPOLEON'S  LIFE  OF  C.ESAR.  ThS  History  of  Julius  Caesar.  By  His 
late  Imperial  Majesty  NAPOLEON  ILL  Two  Volumes  ready.  Library  Edi- 
tion, Svo,  Cloth,  $3  50  per  vol. 

HAYDN'S  DICTIONARY  OF  DATES,  relating  to  all  Ages  and  Nations. 
For  Universal  Reference.  Edited  by  BF.NJAMIN  VINCENT,  Assistant  Secre- 
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and  Revised  for  the  Use  of  American  Readers.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00 ;  Sheep, 
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MACGREGOR'S  ROB  ROY  ON  THE  JORDAN.  The  Rob  Roy  on  the 
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WALLACE'S  MALAY  ARCHIPELAGO.  The  Malay  Archipelago:  the 
Land  of  the  Orang-Utan  and  the  Bird  of  Paradise.  A  Narrative  of  Trav- 
el, 1S54-1SG2.  With  Studies  of  Man  and  Nature.  By  ALFRED  RURSEL 
WALLACE.  With  Ten  Maps  and  Fifty-one  Elegant  Illustrations.  Crown 
8vo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

WHYMPER'S  ALASKA.  Travel  and  Adventure  in  the  Territory  of  Alas- 
ka, formerly  Russian  America— now  Ceded  to  the  United  States— and  ia 
various  other  parts  of  the  North  Pacific.  By  FREDERICK  WUTMPEB 
With  Map  and  Illustrations.  Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

QRTON'S  ANDES  AND  THE  AMAZON.  The  Andes  and  the  Amazon ;  or, 
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fessor of  Natural  History  in  Vassar  College,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  and 
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phia. With  a  New  Map  of  Equatorial  America  arid  numerous  Illustra- 
tions. Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

WINCHELL'S  SKETCHES  OF  CREATION.  Sketches  of  Creation:  a 
t  Popular  View  of  some  of  the  Grand  Conclusions  of  the  Sciences  in  ref- 
erence to  the  History  of  Matter  and  of  Life.  Together  with  a  Statement 
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DER WINCUELL,  LL.D.,  Chancellor  of  the  Syracuse  University.  With 
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WHITE'S  MASSACRE  OF  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW.    The  Massacre  of  St 
"  Bartholomew :  Preceded  by  a  History  of  the  Religious  Wars  in  the  Reign 
of  Charles  IX.    By  HEXRY  WHITE,  M.  A.    With  Illustrations.    Svo,  Cloth, 
$1  75. 

LOSSING'S  FIELD-BOOK  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  Pictorial  Field-Book 
of  the  Revolution  ;  or,  Illustrations,  hy  Pen  and  Pencil,  of  the  History, 
Biography,  Sceuery,  Relics,  and  Traditions  of  the  War  for  Independ- 
ence. By  BENSON  j.  LOBSINO.  2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $14  00 ;  Sheep,  $15  00 ; 
Half  Calf,  $13  00 ;  Full  Turkey  Morocco,  $22  00. 

LOSSING'S  FIELD-BOOK  OF  THE  WAR  OF  1812.  Pictorial  Field-Book 
of  the  War  of  1812  ;  or,  Illustrations,  by  Pen  and  Pencil,  of  the  History, 
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Calf,  $10  00. 

ALFORD'S  GREEK  TESTAMENT.  The  Greek  Testament :  with  a  crit- 
ically revised  Test;  a  Digest  of  Various  Readings;  Marginal  References 
to  Verbal  and  Idiomatic  Usage ;  Prolegomena  ;  and  a  Critical  and  Exe- 
getical  Commentary.  For  the  Use  of  Theological  Students  and  Minis- 
ters. By  HKNRY  ALFOBD,  D.D.,  Dean  of  Canterbury.  Vol.  L,  contain- 
ing the  Four  Gospels.  944  pages,  Svo,  Cloth,  $C  00 ;  Sheep,  $6  50. 

ABBOTT'S  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT.  The  History  of  Frederick  the 
Second,  called  Frederick  the  Great.  By  JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT.  Elegantly 
Illustrated.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

ABBOTT'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  The  French 
Revolution  of  1TS9,  as  viewed  in  the  Light  of  Republican  Institutions. 
By  JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT.  With  100  Engravings.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

ABBOTT'S  NAPOLEON  BONAPARTE.  The  History  of  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte. By  JOUN  S.  C*  ABBOTT.  With  Maps,  Woodcuts,  and  Portraits  on 
Steel.  2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $10  00. 

ABBOTT'S  NAPOLEON  AT  ST.  HELENA;  or,  Interesting  Anecdotes  and 
Remarkable  Conversations  of  the  Emperor  during  the  Five  and  a  Half 
Years  of  his  Captivity.  Collected  from  the  Memorials  of  Las  Casas, 
O'Meara,  Montholon,  Antommarchi,  and  others.  By  JOIIN  S.  C.  ABBOTT. 
With  Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

ADDISON'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Joseph  Addison,  em- 
bracing the  whole  of  the  "Spectator."  Complete  in  3  vols.,  8ro,  Cloth, 
$6  00. 


Harper  6°  Brothers'  Valuable  and  Interesting  Works. 


With  Maps  and  Engravings.    2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

ALISON'S  HISTORY  OF  EUROPE.  FIRST  SERIES  :  From  the  Commence- 
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bons, in  1815.  [In  addition  to  the  Notes  on  Chapter  LXXVI.,  which  cor- 
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ous Analytical  Index  has  been  appended  to  this  American  Edition.] 
SECOND  SERIES:  From  the  Fall  of  Napoleon,  in  1S15,  to  the  Accession  of 
Louis  Napoleon,  in  1S52.  8  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $10  00. 

EARTH'S  NORTH  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA.  Travels  and  Discoveries  in 
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HENRY  BARTJU,  Ph.D.,  D.C.L.  Illustrated.  3  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $12  00. 

HENRY  WARD  BEECHER'S  SERMONS.  Sermons  by  HENP.V  WARD 
BEECIIKR,  Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn.  Selected  from  Published  afVd 
Unpublished"  Discourses,  and  Revised  by  their  Author.  With  Steel  Por- 
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LYMAN  BEECHER'S  AUTOBIOGRAPHY,  &o.  Autobiography,  Corres- 
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vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

BOSWELL'S  JOHNSON.  The  Life  of  Samuel  Johnson,  LL.D.  Including 
a  Journey  to  the  Hebrides.  By  JAMES  BOSWEI.L,  Esq.  A  New  Edition, 
with  numerous  Additions  and  Notes.  By  JOHN  WILSON  CEOKEE,  LL.D., 
F.R.S.  Portrait  of  Boswell.  2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

DRAPER'S  CIVIL  WAR.  History  of  the  American  Civil  War.  By  JOHN 
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University  of  New  York.  In  Three  Vols.  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  50  per  vol. 

DRAPER'S  INTELLECTUAL  DEVELOPMENT  OF  EUROPE.  A  Histo- 
ry of  the  Intellectual  Development  of  Europe.  By  JOHN  W.  DRAPER, 
M.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Physiology  iii  the  University 
of  New  York.  Svo,  Cloth.  $5  00. 

DRAPER'S  AMERICAN  CIVIL  POLICY.  Thoughts  on  the  Future  Civil 
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Cloth,  $2  50. 

DU  CHAILLU'S  AFRICA.  Explorations  and  Adventures  in  Eqnatorial  Af- 
rica, with  Accounts  of  the  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  People,  and  of 
the  Chase  of  the  Gorilla,  the  Crocodile,  Leopard,  Elephant,  Hippopota- 
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trations. Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

DU  CHAILLU'S  ASHANGO  LAND.  A  Journey  to  Ashango  Land:  and 
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New  Edition.  Handsomely  Illustrated.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

BELLOWS'S  OLD  WORLD.  The  Old  World  in  its  New  Face :  Impressions 
of  Europe  in  1867-1SCS.  By  HENRY  W.  BELLOWS.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth, 
$3  50. 

BRODHEAD'S  HISTORY  OF  NEW  YORK.  History  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  By  JOHN  ROMEYN  BRODHEAD.  1G09-1G91.  2  vols.  Svo,  Cloth, 
$3  00  per  vol. 

BROUGHAM'S  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  Life  and  Times  of  HENRY,  LORI> 
BROUGHAM.  Written  by  Himself.  In  Three  Volumes.  12mo,  Cloth. 
$-2  00  per  vol. 

BULWER'S  PROSE  WORKS.  Miscellaneous  Prose  Works  of  Edward  Bnl- 
wer,  Lord  Lyttou.  2  vole.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 


Harper  &>  Brothers'  Valuable  and  Interesting  Works.          5 

BULWER-S  HORACE.  The  Odes  and  Epodes  of  Horace.  A  Metrical 
Translation  into  English.  With  Introduction  and  Commentaries.  By 
LOUD  LYTTON.  With  Latin  Text  from  the  Editions  of  Orelli,  Macleanei 
and  Yonge.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

BULWER'S  KING  ARTHUR,  A  Poem.  By  LORD  LYTTON.  New  Edition. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

BURNS'S  LIFE  AND  WORKS.  The  Life  and  Works  of  Robert  Burns. 
Edited  by  ROBEUT  CHANCES.  4  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $6  00. 

BEINDEER,  DOGS,  AND  SNOW-SHOES.  A  Journal  of  Siberian  Travel 
and  Explorations  made  in  the  Years  lS65-'67.  By  RICHARD  J.  BUSH,  late 
of  the  Russo- American  Telegraph  Expedition.  Illustrate.!.  Crown  Svo, 
Cloth,  $3  00. 

CARLYLE'S  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT.  History  of  Friedrich  II.,  called 
Frederick  the  Great.  By  THOMAS  CARLYLE.  Portraits,  Maps,  Plan^, 
&C.  (i  vols.,  12iuo,  Cloth,  $12  00. 

CARLYLE'S  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  History  of  the  French  Revolution. 
2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  60. 

CARLYLE'S  OLIVER  CROMWELL.  Letters  and  Speeches  of  Oliver 
Cromwell.  With  Elucidations  and  Connecting  Narrative.  2  vols.,  12uio. 
Cloth,  $3  50. 

CHALMERS'S  POSTHUMOUS  WORKS.  The  Posthumous'  Works  of  Dr. 
Chalmers.  Edited  by  his  Son-iu-Law,  Rev.  WILLIAM  UANNA,  LL.D. 
Complete  in  9  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $13  50. 

COLERIDGE'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Complete  Works  of  Samuel 
Taylor  Coleridge.  \Vith  an  Introductory  Essay  upon  his  Philosophical 
and  Theological  Opinions.  Edited  by  Professor  SUEDD.  Complete  in 
Seven  Vols.  With  a  Portrait.  Small  Svo,  Cloth,  $10  50. 

DOOLITTLE'S  CHINA.  Social  Life  of  the  Chinese :  with  some  Account  of 
their  Religious,  Governmental,  Educational,  and  Business  Customs  and 
Opinions.  With  special  but  not  exclusive  Reference  to  Fuhchau.  By 
Rev.  JUSTUS  DOOLITTI.E,  Fourteen  Years  Member  of  the  Fuhchau  Mis- 
sion of  the  American  Board.  Illustrated  with  more  that  150  character- 
istic Engravings  on  Wood.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

GIBBON'S  ROME.  History  of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire. 
By  EDWARD  GIBBON.  With  Notes  by  Rev.  H.  II.  MILMAN  and  M.  GPIZOT. 
A  new  cheap  Edition.  To  which  is  added  a  complete  Index  of  the  whole 
Work,  and  a  Portrait  of  the  Author.  6  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $9  00. 

HAZEN'S  SCHOOL  AND  ARMY  IN  GERMANY  AND  FRANCE.  The 
School  and  the  Army  in  Germany  and  France,  with  a  Diary  of  Siesre 
Life  at  Versailles.  By  Brevet  Major-General  W.  B.  HAZEN,  U.S.A.,  Col- 
onel Sixth  Infantry.  Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

HARPER'S  NEW  CLASSICAL  LIBRARY.    Literal  Translations. 
The  following  Vols.  are  now  ready.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50  each. 
CAESAR.— VIRGIL.— SALLUST. — HORACE.— CICERO'S  ORATIONS.—  CICERO'S 

OFFICES,  &o. — CICERO  ON  ORATORY  AND  ORATORS. — TACITUS  (2  vols.). 

— TERENCE.— SOI-HOCLES. — JUVENAL. — XENOPHON.— HOM  PR'S  ILIAD. — 

HOMER'S  ODYSSEY.  — HERODOTUS.  — DEMOSTHENES.  — TIIUCYDIDEB.  — 

AESCHYLUS.— EURIPIDES  (2  vols.).— LIVY  (2  vols.). 

DA  VIS'S  CARTHAGE.  Carthage  and  her  Remains:  being  nn  Account  of 
the  Excavations  and  Researches  on  the  Site  of  the  Phoenician  Metropo- 
lis in  Africa  and  other  adjacent  Places.  Conducted  under  the  Auspices 
of  Her  Majesty's  Government.  By  Dr.  DAVIS,  F.R.G.S.  Profusely  Illus- 
trated with  Maps,  Woodcuts,  Chromo-Lithographs,  &c.  Svo,  Cloth, 
$4  00. 

EDGEWORTirS  (Miss)  NOVELS.  With  Engravings.  10  vols..  12mo, 
Cloth,  $15  00. 

GROTE'S  HISTORY  OF  GREECE.    12  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $1S  00. 


6          Harper  <Sf  Brothers'  Valuable  and  Interesting  Works. 

HELPS'S  SPANISH  CONQUEST.  The  Spanish  Conquest  in  America,  and 
its  Relation  to  the  History  of  Slavery  and  to  the  Government  of  Colonies. 
By  ABTUDK  HELPS.  4  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $C  00. 

BALE'S  (Mns.)  WOMAN'S  RECORD.  Woman's  Record  ;  or,  Biographical 
Sketches  of  all  Distinguished  Women,  from  the  Creation  to  the  Present 
Time.  Arranged  ill  Four  Eras,  with  Selections  from  Female  Writers  of 
Each  Era.  By  Mrs.  SARAH  JOSEPIIA  HALE.  Illustrated  with  more  than 
200  Portraits.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

HALL'S  ARCTIC  RESEARCHES.  Arctic  Researches  and  Life  among  the 
Esquimaux :  being  the  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  in  Search  of  Sir  John 
Franklin,  in  the  Years  1SGO,  1861,  and  1S(>2.  By  CHAELES  FKANOIS  HALL. 
With  Maps  and  100  Illustrations."  The  Illustrations  are  from  the  Origi- 
nal Drawings  by  Charles  Parsons,  Henry  L.  Stephens,  Solomon  Eytinge, 
W.  S.  L.  Jewett,  and  Grauville  Perkins,  after  Sketches  by  Captain  Hall. 
Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

HALLAM'S  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND,  from  the  Ac- 
cession of  Henry  VII.  to  the  Death  of  George  II.  Svo,  Clotn,  $2  00. 

HALLAM'S  LITERATURE.  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of  Europe  dur- 
ing the  Fifteenth,  Sixteenth,  and  Seventeenth  Centuries.  By  HENEY 
HALLAM.  2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

HALLAM'S  MIDDLE  AGES.  State  of  Europe  during  the  Middle  Ages. 
By  HENEY  HALLAM.  8vo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

HILDRETH'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  FIEBT  SEETES: 
From  the  First  Settlement  of  the  Country  to  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal 
Constitution.  SECOND  SEEIKS:  From  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Con- 
stitution, to  the  End  of  tire  Sixteenth  Congress.  6  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth, 
$18  00. 

HUME'S  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND.  History  of  England,  from  the  Inva- 
sion of  Julius  Csesar  to  the  Abdication  of  James  II.,  1088.  By  DAVIT) 
HUME.  A  new  Edition,  with  the  Author's  last  Corrections  and  Improve- 
ments. To  which  is  Prefixed  a  short  Account  of  his  Life,  written  by 
Himself.  With  a  Portrait  of  the  Author.  6  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

JAY'S  WORKS.  Complete  Works  of  Rev.  William  Jay :  comprising  his 
Sermons,  Family  Discourses,  Morning  and  Evening  Exercises  for  every 
Day  in  the  Year,  Family  Prayers,  &c.  Author's  enlarged  Edition,  re- 
vised. 3  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $6  00. 

JEFFERSON'S  DOMESTIC  LIFE.  The  Domestic  Life  of  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son: compiled  from  Family  Letters  and  Reminiscences,  by  his  Great- 
Granddaughter,  SAEAII  N.  RANDOLPH.  With  Illustrations.  Crown  Svo, 
Illuminated  Cloth,  Beveled  Edges,  $2  50. 

JOHNSON'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Samuel  Johnson,  LL.D. 
With  an  Essay  on  his  Life  and  Genius,  by  AETUUE  MUEPHY,  Esq.  Por- 
trait of  Johnson.  2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

KINGLAKE'S  CRIMEAN  WAR.  The  Invasion  of  the  Crimea,  and  an  Ac- 
count of  its  Progress  down  to  the  Death  of  Lord  Raglan.  By  ALEXAN- 
DER WILLIAM  KINGLAKK.  With  Maps  and  Plans.  Two  Vols.  ready. 
12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00  per  vol. 

KINGSLEY'S  WEST  INDIES.  At  Last:  A  Christmas  in  the  West  Indies. 
By  CUAELES  KINGSLEY.  Illustrated.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

KRUMMACHER'S  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL.  David,  the  King  of  Isra- 
el: a  Portrait  drawn  from  Bible  History  and  the  Book  of  Psalms.  By 
FIIKDERICK  WILLIAM  KEUMMAOIIEK,  D.D.,  Author  of  "Elijah  the  Tish- 
bite,"  &c.  Translated  under  the  express  Sanction  of  the  Author  by  the 
Rev.  M.  G.  EASTON,  M.A.  With  a  Letter  from  Dr.  Kruminacher  to  his 
American  Readers,  and  a  Portrait.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

LAMB'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Charles  Lamb.  Compris- 
ing his  Letters,  Poems,  Essays  of  Elia,  Essays  upon  Shakspeare,  Ho- 
parth,  &c.,  and  a  Sketch  of  his  Life,  with  the  Final  Memorials,  by  T.  Noon 
TALFOCBI>.  Portrait.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 


Harper  6°  Brothers'  Valuable  and  Interesting  Works.          7 

LIVINGSTONE'S  SOUTH  AFRICA.  Missionary  Travels  and  Researches 
in  South  Africa;  including  a  Sketch  of  Sixteen  Years'  Residence  in  the 
Interior  of  Africa,  aud  a  Journey  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Loan- 
do  on  the  West  Coast ;  thence  across  the  Continent,  down  the  River 
Zambesi,  to  the  Eastern  Ocean.  By  DAVID  LIVINGSTONE,  LL.D.,  D.C.L. 
With  Portrait,  Maps  by  Arrowsmith,  and  numerous  Illustrations.  Svo, 
Cloth,  $i  50. 

LIVINGSTONES'  ZAMBESI.  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  the  Zambesi 
and  its  Tributaries,  and  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Lakes  Shirwa  aud  Ny- 
assa.  186S-1S64.  By  DAVID  and  CHAELES  LIVINGSTONE.  With  Map  and 
Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

M'CLINTOCK  &  STRONG'S  CYCLOPAEDIA.  Cyclopaedia  of  Biblical, 
Theological,  and  Ecclesiastical  Literature.  Prepared  by  the  Rev.  JOHN 
M'CLINTOCK,  D.D.,  and  JAMES  STUONG,  S.T.D.  5  vol.1,  now  readii.  Royal 
8vo,  Price  per  vol.,  Cloth,  $5  00;  Sheep,  $6  00;  Half  Morocco,  $8  00. 

MARCY'S  ARMY  LIFE  ON  THE  BORDER.  Thirty  Years  of  Army  Life 
on  the  Border.  Comprising  descriptions  of  the  Indian  Nomads  of  the 
Plains  ;  Explorations  of  New  Territory ;  a  Trip  across  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains in  the  Winter;  Descriptions  of" the  Habits  of  Different  Animals 
found  in  the  West,  and  the  Methods  of  Hunting  them ;  with  Incidents 
in  the  Life  of  Difl'erent  Frontier  Men,  &c  ,  &c.  By  Brevet  Brigadier- 
General  R.  B.  MAUCV,  U.S.A.,  Author  of  "The  Prairie  Traveller."  With 
numerous  Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth,  Beveled  Edges,  $3  00. 

MACAULAY'S  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND.  The  History  of  England  from 
the  Accession  of  James  II.  By  THOMAS  BABINGTON  MAOAUI.AY.  With 
an  Original  Portrait  of  the  Author.  5  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $10  00;  12mo, 
Cloth,  $T  50. 

MOSHEIM'S  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY,  Ancient  and  Modern:  in 
which  the  Rise,  Progress,  and  Variation  of  Church  Power  are  considered 
in  their  Connection  with  the  State  of  Learning  and  Philosophy,  and  the 
Political  History  of  Europe  during  that  Period.  Translated,  with  Notes, 
&c.,  by  A.  MAcr.AiNK,  D.D.  A  new  Edition,  continued  to  1820,  by  C. 
COOTB,  LL.D.  2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

THE  DESERT  OF  THE  EXODUS.  Journeys  on  Foot  in  the  Wilderness 
of  the  Forty  Years'  Wanderings;  undertaken  in  connection  with  the 
Ordnance  Survey  of  Sinai  and  the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund.  By  E. 
H.  PALMEK,  M.A.,  Lord  Almoner's  Professor  of  Arabic,  and  Fellow  of 
St.  John's  College,  Cambridge.  With  Maps  and  numerous  Illustrations 
from  Photographs  and  Drawings  taken  on  the  spot  by  the  Sinai  Survey 
Expedition  and  C.  F.  Tyrwhitt  Drake.  Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

OLIPIIANT'S  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  Narrative  of  the  Earl  of  Elgin's  Mis- 
sion to  China  and  Japan,  in  the  Years  1S57,  '53,  '59.  By  LAURENCE  Oi.t- 
PHANT,  Private  Secretary  to  Lord  Elgin.  Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

O-LIPHANT'S  (Mns.)  LIFE  OF  EDWARD  IRVING.  The  Life  of  Edward 
Irving,  Minister  of  the  National  Scotch  Church,  London.  Illustrated  by 
his  Journals  and  Correspondence.  By  Mrs.  OLIPHANT.  Portrait.  Svo, 
Cloth,  $3  50. 

RAWLINSON'S  MANUAL  OF  ANCIENT  HISTORY.  A  Manual  of  An- 
dent  History,  from  the  Earliest  Times  to  the  Fall  of  the  Western  Empire. 
Comprising  the  History  of  Chaldsea,  Assyria,  Media,  Babylonia,  Lydia, 
Phoenicia,  Syria,  Judaea,  Egypt,  Carthage,  Persia,  Greece,  Macedonia, 
Parthiit,  and  Rome.  By  GKORGK  RAWLINBON,  M.A.,  Camden  Professoj 
of  Ancient  History  in  the  University  of  Oxford.  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

RECLUS'S  THE  EARTH.  The  Earth:  A  Descriptive  History  of  the  Phe- 
nomena and  Life  of  the  Globe.  By  EMS£K  RKCI.I-S.  Translated  by  the 
late  B.  B.  Woodward,  and  Edited  by  Henry  Woodward.  With  234  Maps 
and  Illustrations  and  23  Page  Maps  printed  in  Colors.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

RECLUS'S  OCEAN.  The  Ocean,  Atmosphere,  and  Life.  Being  The  Second 
Series  of  a  Descriptive  History  of  the  Life  of  the  Globe.  By  ELIS^P.  RE- 
oi.us.  Profusely  Illustrated  with  250  Maps  or  Figures,  and  27  Maps 
printed  in  Colors.  Svo,  Cloth,  $0  00. 


8          Harper  dr»  Brothers'  Valuable  and  Interesting  Works. 

SHAKSPEARE.  The  Dramatic  Works  of  William  Shakspeare,  with  the 
Corrections  and  Illustrations  of  Dr.  JOHNSON,  G.  STKVKNS,  and  others. 
Kevised  by  ISAAC  KEEK.  Engravings,  ti  vols,  Royal  12mo,  Cloth.  $9  00 
2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

SMILES'S  LIFE  OP  THE  STEPHENSONS.  The  Life  of  George  Stephen- 
son,  and  of  his  Son,  Robert  Stephenson ;  comprising,  also,  a  History  of 
the  Invention  and  Introduction  of  the  Railway  Locomotive.  By  SAMUEL 
SMILES,  Author  of  "  Self-Help,"  &c.  With  Steel  Portraits  and  numerous 
Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

SMILES'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  HUGUENOTS.  The  Huguenots:  their  Set- 
tlements, Churches,  and  Industries  in  England  and  Ireland.  By  SAMUEL 
SMILES.  With  an  Appendix  relating  to  the  Huguenots  in  America. 
Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

SPEKE'S  AFRICA.  Journal  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Source  of  the  Nile. 
By  Captain  JOIIN  HANKING  SPKKE,  Captain  H.M.  Indian  Army,  Fellow 
and  Gold  Medalist  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  Hon.  Correspond- 
ing Member  and  Gold  Medalist  of  the  French  Geographical  Society,  <fec. 
With  Maps  and  Portraits  and  numerous  Illustrations,  chiefly  from  Draw- 
ings by  Captain  GRANT.  Svo,  Cloth,  uniform  with  Livingstone,  Barth, 
Burton,  &c.,  $4  00. 

STRICKLAND'S  (Miss)  QUEENS  OF  SCOTLAND.  Lives  of  the  Qneens  of 
Scotland  and  English  Princesses  connected  with  the  Regal  Successiou 
of  Great  Britain.  Py  AGNKS  STBICKLAND.  S  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $12  00. 

THE  STUDENT'S  SERIES. 

France.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Gibbon.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Greece.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Hume.     Engravings.     12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Rome.    By  LiddelL    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Old  Testament  History.    Engravings.     12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

New  Testament  History.    Engravings,  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Strickland's  Qneens  of  England.    Abridged.    Eng'tj.     12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Ancient  History  of  the  East.  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Hallam's  Middle  Ages.     12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Hallam's  Constitutional  History  of  England.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Lyell's  Elements  of  Geology.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

TENNYSON'S  COMPLETE  POEMS.  The  Complete  Poems  of  Alfred  Ten- 
nyson, Poet  Laureate.  With  numerous  Illustrations  by  Eminent  Artists, 
and  Three  Characteristic  Portraits.  Svo,  Paper,  75  cents;  Cloth,  $1  25. 

THOMSON'S  LAND  AND  THE  BOOK.  The  Land  and  the  Book;  or,  Bib- 
lical Illustrations  drawn  from  the  Manners  and  Customs,  the  Scenes 
and  the  Scenery  of  the  Holy  Laud.  By  W.  M.  TIIOMSON,  D.D.,  Twenty- 
five  Years  a  Missionary  of  the  A.B.C.F.M.  in  Syria  and  Palestine.  With 
two  elaborate  Maps  of  Palestine,  an  accurate  Plan  of  Jerusalem,  and 
several  hundred  Engravings,  representing  the  Scenery,  Topography,  and 
Productions  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  the  Costumes,  Manners,  and  Habits 
of  the  People.  2  large -12mo  vols.,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

TYERMAN'S  WESLEY.  The  Life  and  Times  of  the  Rev.  John  Wesley, 
M.A.,  Founder  of  the  Methodists.  By  the  Rev.  LUKE  TVEKMAN.  Por- 
traits. 3  vols.,  Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $7  50. 

TYERMAN'S  OXFORD  METHODISTS.  The  Oxford  Methodists:  Memoirs 
of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Clayton,  Ingham,  Gambold,  Hervey,  and  Broughton, 
with  Biographical  Notices  of  others.  By  the  Rev.  L.  TYEUMAN.  With 
Portraits.  Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 

VAMBfiRY'S  CENTRAL  ASIA.  Travels  in  Central  Asia.  Being  the  Ac- 
count of  a  Journey  from  Teheren  across  the  Turkoman  Desert,  on  the 
Eastern  Shore  of  the  Caspian,  to  Khiva,  Bokhara,  and  Samarcand,  per- 
formed in  the  Year  1863.  By  AISMINICS  VXMHEIIY,  Member  of  the  Hun- 
garian Academy  of  Pesth,  by  whom  he  was  sent  on  this  Scientific  Mis- 
sion. With  Map  and  Woodcuts.  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  50. 

WOOD'S  HOMES  WITHOUT  HANDS.  Homes  Without  Hands :  being  a 
Description  of  the  Habitations  of  Animals,  classed  according  to  their 
Principle  of  Construction.  By  J.  G.  Wooi>,  M.A.,  F.L.S.  With  about 
140  Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth,  Beveled  Edges,  $4  60. 


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